Pascal Oparada
Gloria Okolie, the 21-year-old lady detained for over three months by the police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Owerri, Imo State and allegedly used for cooking and laundry while in custody has been charged for spying, aiding and abetting IPOB/ESN.
A press statement from the Police Force Headquarters and signed by CSP Aremu Adeniran, Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, said Gloria was arrested because she was spying for the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant arm, Eastern Security Network (ESN).
According to the statement, Okolie’s actions have led to attacks on Police and military formations in Imo State.
The statement also accused Okolie of playing the gender card to curry public sympathy.
The police accused Okolie of being a drug courier and arms bearer for IPOB and ESN.
“Through her clandestine criminal activities, she 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, have the imprimaturs of Gloria Okolie, the spy girl of ESN militants. The investigation is being concluded to enable the Police to arraign her in court for prosecution,” the statement read in part.
Okolie’s plight came into the limelight after she was arrested and kept in an unknown destination by IRT.
It was later discovered that Okolie has been kept in the custody of IRT and allegedly turned into a maid, cooking and washing for the IRT operatives.
Harrison Gwamnishu, a rights activist raised the alarm In Facebook and said Okolie’s parents searched for her in hospitals and mortuaries and could not find her.
Following public outrage, Okolie was subsequently moved to Abuja.
The police press release is reproduced below.
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VIOLENT ATTACKS IN THE SOUTH-EAST: POLICE ARREST MILITANTS’ SPY GIRL
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, working with the Military and other security forces, have arrested one 22-year-old female suspect, Gloria Okolie, for her complicity in the series of deliberate and well-coordinated attacks on security formations, other critical national infrastructure including INEC offices and killing of security operatives in the South-Eastern part of the country. The suspect, a native of Umutanza in Imo State, was arrested following ongoing investigations and implementation of special operation, Operation Restore Peace, to amongst other things, break the information, drugs and arms supply chain to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network in the South-East region.
Police Investigations 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”, one of the ESN commanders earlier declared wanted by the Police for his lead roles in planning, coordinating and executing the attack on the Imo State Police Command Headquarters and Imo State Headquarters of the Nigerian Correctional Service. Her arrest 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 deliver same to their commanders in their camps. Through her clandestine criminal activities, she 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, have the imprimaturs of Gloria Okolie, the spy girl of ESN militants. Investigation is being concluded to enable the Police arraign her in court for prosecution.
The Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc (+), fdc, NPM, 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.
CSP AREMU ADENIRAN
DEPUTY FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
FORCE HEADQUARTERS
ABUJA
22nd August, 2021
