Combined security agencies have killed “many” suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed militant wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN), across communities in Nigeria’s South-east, an official has said.
The Force Commander, Joint Task Force South-east Operation Udo Ka, Hassan Taiwo-Dada, disclosed this on Friday during a press briefing at Eke-Ututu community in Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State, South-east Nigeria.
A text of the press briefing was also published on the official Facebook page of the Nigerian Army on Friday.
How they were killed
Mr Taiwo-Dada, a major-general, said the IPOB members were killed during a series of operations in some suspected IPOB hideouts from 11 February to 7 March.
He said the operations were conducted by the Joint Task Force of Operation Udoka, comprising personnel of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force and the Nigeria Police Force.
The army chief, who is also the General Officer Commanding 82 Division of the Nigerian army, said personnel of the State Security Service and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps also took part in the operations.
Mr Taiwo-Dada said the suspected IPOB/ESN hideouts which were destroyed by the joint task force are in Orsu, Eke-Ututu, and Ihiteukwa, Ihittenansa – all communities in Orsu Local Government Area of the state.
He said, within the same period, some of the hideouts were also destroyed by the joint task force in Orsumoghu and Lilu – all communities in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra, another state in the South-east.
Ihiala and Lilu, though in Anambra State, share boundaries with communities in Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State.
When they were killed
Mr Taiwo-Dada said, in one of the operations on 7 March, the joint task force destroyed some IPOB hideouts allegedly used by the separatists as their “supreme headquarters”.
“During the raid operations, the gallant troops encountered, detonated and recovered many command improvised explosive devices and various types of obstacles which were cleared by the determined troops.
“The troops also came in contact with the terrorists but were subdued with superior fire power with many neutralised while others with varying degrees of gunshot wounds fled into the bush,” he said, urging residents of the states to report any strange face in their communities to the task force.
He said the “supreme headquarters,” which served as the IPOB members’ last stronghold, was located in a valley.
Mr Taiwo-Dada said the valley spanned the Orsu and Ihiala local government areas of the south-eastern states and is about 5,000 feet below sea level.
The army chief added that the “well concealed and forested location afforded” the IPOB members “good cover from air surveillance” and also served as their “command and control centre and military council headquarters.”
“The joint troops also destroyed about 50 tents in the valley housing the supreme headquarters, IPOB/ESN command and control center, including their hideout and residence, offices, their logistics base, temples and shrines used for occult practices among many other items,” he stated.
Several arms and ammunition were among the items recovered during the operations, according to the army.
Others were laptops, several mobile phones, Baofeng radios, batteries, one inverter, a SIM card registration machine, four PoS machines, trumpets, Biafra flags and uniforms as well as an undisclosed number of vehicles suspected to have been stolen.
READ ALSO: Nigerian troops discover burnt corpses of police operatives in IPOB camp – Official
Mr Taiwo-Dada appreciated the cooperation of all the security agencies in the success achieved so far and urged leaders of the communities, who fled during the operations in their places, to return to their ancestral homes.
The army chief asked the community leaders to emplace efforts to ensure that all the criminals who were chased out from the communities are not allowed to return.
He assured that the joint task force will continue to provide security in all the communities and people of South-east to support the security agencies with “timely and actionable information” to aid the fight against terrorism and other criminal activities in the region.
IPOB, a group seeking to carve out a sovereign state of Biafra from South-east and some parts of neighbouring states, has been linked to some of the deadly attacks in the two regions.
But the separatist group has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks.
The Nigerian army and other security agencies have been carrying out operations against the separatist group.
Both personnel of the Nigerian army and members of the separatist group have been killed in some of the operations.
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