The Anambra State Police Command has arrested members of a criminal gang linked to the attack on the convoy of former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, with two suspects killed during a gun battle with operatives.

The command described the operation as a major breakthrough in its efforts to curb criminal activities and safeguard lives and property in the state.

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The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Tochukwu Ikenga, in a statement, said operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, acting on credible intelligence, ambushed a five-man gang at the Enugwu Agidi junction.

He said the suspects, believed to be armed robbers and cultists with links to a proscribed secessionist group, engaged the police in a fierce exchange of gunfire upon sighting the operatives. The confrontation reportedly lasted about two hours.

Ikenga said two of the suspects sustained fatal gunshot injuries, while three others escaped with varying degrees of injuries.

Items recovered from the scene included one T.06 rifle, two pump-action guns, 24 rounds of T.06 ammunition, 15 live cartridges, assorted charms, a cult red beret and a black Toyota Highlander.

He disclosed that one of the suspects, before dying, confessed to involvement in the earlier attack on Senator Ngige's convoy and admitted being part of the strike squad of the Vikings confraternity on a retaliatory mission.

Commending the operatives for their gallantry, the Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, ordered intensified efforts to track down the fleeing suspects. He also directed hospitals and medical facilities to treat persons with gunshot injuries but promptly report such cases to the nearest police station.