By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief)
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, working with the Military and other security forces, claims it has arrested a 22-year-old female suspect, Gloria Okolie, for her complicity in the series of deliberate and well-coordinated attacks on security formations and other critical national infrastructure in the southeast states of Nigeria.
The assault attacks include burning down of INEC offices and a spate of violent killing of security operatives in the South-Eastern part of the country.
The suspect, said to be a native of Umutanza in Imo State, was allegedly arrested, following ongoing investigations and implementation of special operation and Operation Restore Peace in the zone, to amongst other things, break the information, drugs, and arms supply chain to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
According to a statement on Sunday, August 22, 2021, signed by the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Aremu Adeniran (a Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP), the police investigation revealed that Gloria Okolie is a member of IPOB/ESN in Imo State who worked closely with one Benjamin Uzoma Emojiri a.k.a “Onye Army”.
Emojiri is one of the ESN commanders earlier declared wanted by the Police for his lead roles in planning, coordinating and executing the attacks on the Imo State Police Command Headquarters and the Imo State Headquarters of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
The arrest of Gloria Okorie and the revelations from her confession assisted the Police in the arrest of “Onye Army”, a major breakthrough in the quest to restoring law and order in the South-East region.
Further investigations by the Police team revealed that Gloria Okolie takes advantage of her gender and seemingly innocuous looks as camouflage to carry out espionage against military and police targets on behalf of IPOB/ESN. The suspect also serves as an intermediate person, who receives cash, drugs and weapons on behalf of IPOB/ESN and delivers the same to their commanders in their camps.
Through her alleged clandestine criminal activities, she is said to have actively aided and abetted the multiple acts of murder, arson and malicious damage to both private and public property by the ESN. A lot of the deadly and unfortunate attacks on security personnel and assets, with numerous fatalities, allegedly have the imprimaturs of Gloria Okolie, the spy girl of ESN militants.
The Police statement said the investigation is being concluded to enable the Police to arraign her in court for prosecution.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, while commending security operatives for the unrelenting fight against violent crimes in the country, assured citizens of the commitment of the Force to improving public safety and security and upholding law and order in the country. NNL.
