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The police said they have arrested 16 people for “complicity in a series of violent and unprovoked attacks on security operatives and facilities” around Nigeria, especially in the South-east region.

Several police officers have been killed lately in a string of attacks by gunmen, mostly around Nigeria’s South-east and South-south regions.

Police stations are often the target of the attacks, which appeared coordinated. The gunmen would raid the armoury, cart away police rifles, and then set the stations on fire, during the attacks. Police vehicles on patrol have also been targeted by gunmen.

The spokesperson at the police headquarters, Frank Mba, announced the arrest of the suspects in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr Mba, a commissioner of police, said the arrest was “an outcome of painstaking, deliberate and tireless” collaborative effort between the police, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigerian Airforce.

The police named the suspects to include Ugochukwu Samuel, otherwise known as Biggy, 28, from Arochukwu Local Government Area, Abia State; Raphael Idang, 31, from Odukpani Local Government Area, Cross River State; Cletus Egole, otherwise known as Alewa, 60, from Orlu in Imo State; and Michael Uba, 33, from Imo State.

“Twelve others, in the course of investigation, were implicated in multiple felonies committed across several states in the South-Eastern part of the Federation.

“The suspects were arrested in various parts of the country following sustained, and intelligence-driven sting operations.

“Police investigations clearly established and linked the suspects to several incidents of attacks and murder of security personnel as well as stealing, unlawful possession of firearms, arson and malicious damage to operational assets of military and law enforcement agents,” Mr Mba said in the statement