The Anambra State Joint Security Force on Wednesday raided the Ogbaru Forest hideouts of criminals attacking security formations in the state.
The spokesman for the state police command, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement in Onitsha.
He said troops of the Nigerian Army and the Navy lent considerable firepower to the operation which completely routed the hoodlums from their hideouts in the forest.
The spokesman said: “Several camps were found and destroyed during the operation which lasted several hours.
“Nine Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) recovered from the camps were safely defused by Police Bomb Squad.
“The state’s Commissioner of Police, Aderemi Adeoye, commended the military for its steadfastness in supporting the fight against criminality.
“Adeoye thanked the Department of Security Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and various Vigilante Groups across the state for their wonderful synergy that is yielding results.
“He also warned cultists running amok in the state capital to be aware that their days are numbered.
“Security officers will not fold their hands and watch cultists destabilise the state in the name of cult rivalry leading to fatalities.”