The Police in Enugu State has arrested 12 men who invaded the Enugu
State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) with guns. The gunmen
killed a police
sergeant during a gun battle.
The Commissioner of Police in the
state, Abubakar Mohammed, announced this in Enugu on Thursday while
parading the suspects before journalists.
He said the suspects who
claimed to be members of the Biafran Zionist Movement (BZM) had the
intention of declaring Sovereign State of Biafra.
“They were
arrested during a gun battle with the police at the broadcasting
service. A police sergeant was shot dead during the fracas.”
According to him, the group, led by one Benjamin Onwuka had stormed
the ESBS at about 5:20 a.m. on Thursday 5 June armed with machete, 46
empty bottles of beer and 25 litres of petrol.
He said that they also had the intention of setting the complex ablaze.
“They entered the studio and wanted the people there to give them access to make a live broadcast.
“They had a CD and an address where they recorded what they wanted to tell members of the public in the course of the broadcast.
“They wanted to urge the people of Obiagu, Ogui, students, tricycle operators and others in Enugu to come out.
“They
wanted business people and markets to close and for political office
holders to surrender their positions and property and to overthrow
government,” he said.
Mohammed said that the leader of the group
had been on the wanted list of the police for sometime over his
activities of causing disaffection in the state and beyond.
“We will not tolerate any group of people that are confronting government because it is illegal,” he said.
The
commissioner did not allow journalists to talk to the suspects, stating
that: “these are people that want every opportunity to address the
public and we will not allow that.”
NAN reports that the suspects were aged between 45 and 65 years.
NAN
recalls that the group attempted to enter the Government House in Enugu
in an alleged plan to hoist the Biafran Flag in March.
Source:PM News
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