Ebonyi Police spokesperson Chris Anyanwu disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, December 15.
The discovery followed an operation by the Police during which its operatives engaged in a gun battle with IPOB/ESN members leading to the death of two of the separatist group members and arrest of one of the state commanders.
Anyanwu said the bomb factory was discovered in a camp at Obegu, a boundary area between Onicha-Isu and Ishielu LGAs of Ebonyi State.
The statement read;
“The invasion of the criminals’ den was necessitated by an earlier encounter between operatives of the Command’s Tactical Teams, sequel to a credible information gathered that the hoodlums were operating/wreaking havoc in the State with a Toyota Sienna space bus which they robbed at gun point from the owner within Ishielu axis.
“A quick trail and joint effort with a team of detectives attached to Ohaukwu Division led to the arrest of Sunday Ubah a.k.a Bongo, the State Commander of the IPOB/ESN in Ebonyi State.
“The miscreant who gave revealing pieces of information about the activities and modus operandi of the criminals, initially claimed that he is their PRO and native of Umunnochi in Isuikwuato LGA, Abia State.
“However, a scrupulous investigation aided by his antecedents/profile with the Police Command proved that he is a native of Obegu, Onicha LGA of Ebonyi State and indeed the factional Commander of the outfit in Obegu”.
Anyanwu said a couple of Police operatives sustained minor bullet injuries while two of the hoodlums were neutralized during the shootout that ensued. One of the suspects (the Commander) WAS apprehended while others escaped with various degrees of bullet injuries.
Following the gun duel, a joint team of the Command’s Tactical Teams, the Military and DSS, armed with credible information courtesy of the suspect, swooped on the houses/residences of the Commander and others.
The search warrant which was executed, led to recovery of massive incriminating exhibits.
Anyanwu added;
“The Police bomb expert in the Command described it as a complete Bomb Factory – the biggest in the South-East and that each of the hand grenades (first of its kind) is capable of causing collosal damage to buildings and mass killing of humans,” Anyanwau said
Items recovered include “30 pieces of IEDs using safety fuses primed in non-electric initiator/detonator, Sixty-three (63) wraps of Super power 90mm gelatin, two (02) Solar prime 90mm gelatin, sixteen (16) Danger 90 gelatin, twenty (20) Ideal power 90 gelatin 50mm, two hundred and thirty-nine (239) pieces of plain Non-electric detonators, fourteen (14) pieces of primed nonels, ninety-nine (99) pieces of one-inch safety fuses, and One complete roll of Safety fuse.”
