The Nigerian Army announced on Thursday that its troops belonging to the 34th Brigade has performed a successful raid on a hideout believed to be owned and operated by a group affiliated with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its affiliate group the Eastern Security Network (ESN). The raid was said to have taken place amidst a fierce shootout at the Amaifeke-Akkatta Road in Orlu Local Government Area, Imo state. Upon the capture of the hideout, several caches of arms and ammunition were discovered and seized by security operatives.
In a statement made by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, he said that the arms and ammunition were recovered during the troops’ operations to clear the hideouts located in the area. According to him, the weapons were concealed in a black Toyota Camry, which among other vehicles and arms were abandoned by members of the group after they were overpowered by the troops.
A thorough search of the enclave turned up a further cache of ten Pump Action Shotguns, several locally made guns, one locally fabricated revolver, one Baofeng radio, one sachet of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), and a dry, suspicious substance thought to be gunpowder.
Mr. Nwachukwu said that the army commended the members of the public for their continued support in their continuous efforts to protect citizens from criminal elements masquerading as secessionists. They urged the general public to continue as they have been doing by providing timely and accurate information and providing aid in whatever way they can to the mission of eliminating insecurity in the zone and elsewhere in the country.
