ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Hideouts and training camps owned by the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN), in the Orsumoghu Forest spanning Anambra and Imo States, have been destroyed.
A successful operation conducted by combined troops of 82 Division, Nigerian Army, sister Services, Nigeria Police, and other security agencies led to the destruction.
In a statement released by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, on Tuesday in Abuja, the raid was part of an ongoing effort to deter the enforcement of the illegal sit-at-home order declared by IPOB in the South East.
The operation was carried out on Monday in response to the violent activities of the irredentist group enforcing the illegal two weeks sit-at-home order in various locations in Anambra and Enugu states.
During the operation, the troops successfully cleared the IPOB camps in Ekeututu, Orsumoghu, Lilu, and Mother Valley, facing armed fighters who detonated Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and fired using locally-fabricated mortar tubes.
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The valiant troops overpowered the group in a fierce firefight, forcing them to abandon their positions and flee with gunshot wounds into nearby bushes.
He said: “Further cordon and search of the hideouts by the troops led to the arrest of five fleeing members of the group and recovery of one IPOB flag, one CCTV camera, and two detonated IED bombs and a fabricated mortar tube.
“Sadly, five soldiers and two Nigeria Police operatives sustained varying degrees of injuries from the IED detonated by the criminals.
“The Nigerian Army encourages all law-abiding citizens of the South East to continue to support ongoing operations with actionable information and to disregard the unlawful two-week sit-at-home order by going about their normal daily activities and businesses.
“The Nigerian army, in synergy with sister services and security agencies, will undauntedly continue to protect and safeguard lives and property of the good and enterprising people of South East Nigeria, within the ambit of the law and the rules of engagement.”