The Nigerian Army on Saturday announced that two of its soldiers have been killed and one missing during an attack on the operatives of Eastern Security Network (ESN), an armed wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) at Osina, Ideator North Local Government Area of Imo State.
IPOB is a separatist organisation seeking for the restoration of Republic of Biafra from Nigeria State following age long accusation of marginalization of the people of the South East region of Nigeria since the Biafra – Nigeria civil war.
In a statement on Saturday, the Nigerian Army said that weapons of the falling agents were carted away by the operatives of ESN, in the incident that happened on Friday, December 27.
The statement noted that the incident happened when troops of 34 Artillery Brigade were returning from routine patrols and responded to a distress call of IPOB/ESN attack on Osina Community. “On arrival, the troops engaged the “terrorists” with overwhelming fire power, killing some of them, with no figure specific, while adding that the “dissidents withdrew in dissary”.
“Unfortunately, two security agents had been killed in action and one other missing in action and their weapons, an Ak 47 Rifle and a Tear Gas Launcher were carted away by the terrorists.”
The statement noted that the corpses of the slain agents had been recovered and the troops have proceeded in pursuit of the fleeing “terrorists”.
“Contact was again made with the criminal IPOB/ESN elements at Nkwachi Community and in the firefight that ensued, one of the dissidents was neutralized while others who could not withstand the troop’s fire power ran into the nearby forest. One (1) AK-47 rifle with a fully loaded magazine was recovered.
“The unrelenting troops continued to pursue the remnant of the criminals deep into Umalouma forest where a heavy firefight further broke out. The dissidents finally abandoned their weapons due to troops’ superior fire power and scampered into the thickly forested area with severe gunshot injuries. An additional five (4) Ak – 47 rifles, one (1) Fabrique Nationale Rifle and five (2) Magazines were recovered. A total of six (5) AK 47 Rifles and a Tear Gas Launcher were recovered.
“Further exploitation is ongoing as troops will continue to trail the injured terrorists and smoke them out of their hideouts and places of treatment. We urge all IPOB/ESN irredentists and other criminal elements hiding in the bushes to surrender to the nearest troops’ location or meet their waterloo as troops of the Brigade will continue to ensure that Imolites celebrate the Yuletide Season in peace without fear or intimidation.”
The Army in the statement appealed to the people of Imo State to continue to support the military by giving them timely intelligence on the hideouts and movements of the “terrorists to enable us rid the state of all criminality”.
It should be recalled that since 2021 Imo state has become a killing field, with the military burning down several communities and markets in the guise of fighting separatists.
Last week, a non-governmental organisation, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) revealed that Nigerian military in its continued onslaughts on the South-East states have raided no fewer than 300 Igbo communities under the guise of fishing out members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) members.
The group which revealed this in a report titled, “Nigeria: Ocean of Innocent blood flowing in the East” and the “Human Rights Made In Nigeria,” also accused the military of burning down over 6000 houses and displacing at least 180,000 residents.
Report released last Sunday with graphic details of all the atrocities, condemned the military authorities for the militarisation of the region which the report noted was the enabler.
The new report chronicled the secret arrests and trial of South-East residents in seven states of Niger, Kogi, Nasarawa, Benue, Kaduna, Zamfara and FCT (Abuja), while alleging that other residents were dumped to die or subjected to “Kangaroo trials” inside the Wawa Army Cantonment In Niger State.
The report partly read, “The “Ocean Of Innocent Blood Flowing In The East” represents graphic, shocking and chilling account of the Nigerian military and other security forces (police crack squads, secret police, sub-state actor killer vigilantes and killer government taskforces) siege and terror (armed state actor conduct-atrocities) in the East since August 2015.
“It further captures the untold story of what is going on in the Region with regard to violent criminal activities by armed non-state actors including government-linked and non-government-linked armed non-state actors.”
