The Nigerian military says its troops have killed two suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed militant wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), in Abia state in southeastern Nigeria.
The army, in a statement posted on its Facebook page on Thursday, said the suspects were killed when troops raided camps belonging to IPOB and ESN earlier in the day.
The military said in a statement earlier on the same day that troops, along with a Joint Task Force tactical patrol squad, “infiltrated and dismantled” a suspected IPOB camp in the community, including training facilities at the camp. .
He said the operation was carried out in Ihechiowa, a community in Arochukwu Local Government Area of the state.
“In addition to the destruction of the training camp, troops also attacked buildings used as hideouts for key ESN commanders,” he said.
The statement said the operation was in response to IPOB’s alleged “escalation of terrorist activities” against community residents and government agencies in the state.
‘How the alleged IPOB members were murdered’
In the subsequent statement, the army said the troops killed the two suspects following an intensified raid and destruction of IPOB camps in the Umudi and Umuaku forest areas of Umunneochi, another council area in the state, the Thursday.
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He said the operation was carried out in collaboration with other security agencies, but did not name the agencies.
“The operations began with an offensive against the first terrorist camp, where troops encountered resistance and in the firefight, troops neutralized two terrorists, while others fled, having been overwhelmed by superior firepower,” he said.
The statement states that troops later destroyed a shrine seen in one of the fields.
“This operation marks a significant step in the ongoing effort to dismantle IPOB/ESN operational capabilities in the region.
“The security forces remain committed to restoring peace and order in Abia State and ensuring the safety of residents,” the statement added.
According to the military, among the items recovered from the suspects were several weapons and ammunition.
IPOB, a group seeking to create a sovereign Biafra state in the southeast and some parts of south-south Nigeria, has been linked to some deadly attacks in two regions.
But the separatist group has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks.
Nigerian security agencies, mainly the military, have been attacking camps belonging to the group and other separatist groups, mainly in the southeast.
Both security agency personnel and members of separatist groups have been killed during such deadly operations in the region.
Operations appear to have recently increased in the region after five soldiers were killed by gunmen suspected of being IPOB members in Abia State.