No fewer than four unknown gunmen suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed militia, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), have been neutralized by a crack team of security operatives in Enugu State.

The security squad, comprising the Nigerian Army, the Police, and the DSS personnel, also recovered a cache of arms and ammunition from the gunmen while some of them fled into the bush with various degrees of gunshot injuries.

The criminal elements were intercepted in the early hours of Wednesday and overpowered by operatives at Eha Alumona in Nsukka local government area while hatching sinister plans of attacking some parts of the state, including the metropolis.

It was gathered from verified and reliable security sources that an ESN commander who had been operating from neigbouring states was arrested after hours of intense gun duel between the operatives and the men of the underworld.

According to the sources, the notorious ESN commander who had been on the wanted list led the security operatives to their hideouts where they stashed their arms, charms and other dangerous objects.

Meanwhile, the two security personnel who sustained minor injuries during the exchange of fire are presently receiving treatment and have been confirmed to be in stable conditions.

It would be recalled that the Enugu State governor, Barr. Peter Mbah, had vowed to flush out criminal elements and hoodlums behind insecurity in the state through the ongoing security reforms which included establishment of the Distress Response Squad (DRS), massive investment in the state’s Command and Control Centre, surveillance security system, and modern technology aimed at intercepting and eliminating all forms of security threats.