By James
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The controversy, trailing the arrest of an an alleged IPOB/ESN commander, Ifeanyi Eze Okorienta, also known as Gentle de Yahoo in Imo, may not end soon.
Social media reports on Tuesday said Gentle de Yahoo was arrested by a joint team if the Nigerian Army and sister security agencies.
However, Zagozola Makama, a security expert had dismissed the reports, describing them as false, fabricated and misleading.
He premised his conclusion on the lack of official confirmation of the capture of the dreaded suspect by the Nigerian Army.
Nevertheless, the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, has reported that a credible source at the Army Headquarters had confirmed the arrest, following a raid in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo.
He said the operation was carried out on Sunday, following credible intelligence on the hideouts of the criminal kingpin.
The source said troops recovered an English pistol, 120 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 25 rounds of 7.62 NATO ammunition, a live cartridge, six mobile phones, as well as police and military uniforms.
He added that the troops also uncovered a criminal workshop used for dismantling stolen vehicles of kidnapped victims, where 10 motorcycles were destroyed.
According to him, the operation dealt a major blow to the activities of IPOB/ESN elements involved in kidnapping, arms possession, impersonation and sale of stolen vehicle parts in the South East.
The source further said the Nigerian Army remained committed to dismantling terrorist and criminal networks threatening peace and security in the region.
He urged residents to continue to support troops with timely and credible information to help rid the South East of criminal elements.(NAN)
