LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- No fewer than two fighters of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have been killed during a joint operation by the Nigerian Army, Police, and Department of State Services in Delta State.
This is following the report of a recent attack by members of the said group in Asaba area of the State.
According to a statement earlier today, by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, security agencies in the area received distress calls from residents in the community and deployed men to the area.
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He said the IPOB members engaged the operatives in a gun battle, adding that overpowered by the security agents, the criminals withdrew to their hideout.
Onyewa further disclosed that the IPOB members were trailed to their camps where five members were arrested and weapons recovered from them.
“Combined troops of 63 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police and Operatives of the Department of State Services have neutralized two IPOB/ESN fighters and arrested five others after a fierce encounter that took place on Monday, 17 July, at Fuji Junction general area in Asaba, Delta State.
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“The encounter followed distress calls that the community was under attack by terrorists, to which the combined troops swiftly responded. The terrorists succumbed to the overwhelming firepower of the troops, after two of their members fell in the firefight that ensued, while the survivors fled to their hideout around the Okpanam River.
“The troops in pursuit of the fleeing criminal elements successfully trailed them to their enclave in a house around the Okpanam River, where they were nabbed. The troops also recovered one AK 47 Rifle, one Pump Action Semi-Automatic Rifle, 15 Live Cartridges, one AK 47 Rifle Magazine, and a Baofeng Radio Receiver,” the statement read.
He further noted that the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, lauded the combined troops for their effort, urging them to sustain the synergy.
Onyema urge the public to continue cooperating with security agencies by providing actionable information to support their operations.