By Augustine Ehikioya
On raid operation, troops of the Headquarters 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, comprising troops of 34 Artillery Brigade, in conjunction with troops of the Nigerian Navy, Air Force and other security agencies, have neutralized two combatants of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant wing Eastern Security Network (ESN).
This took place on Tuesday 30th August, 2022 along Eke Ututu – Ihitte Nansa Road in Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State.
A statement issued on Wednesday by the Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General, Onyema Nwachukwu, and made available to Security Watch Africa (SWA), has disclosed this.
It said “The troops encountered the dissidents while carrying out a raid operation around the general area of Orsu Ihitte Ukwa and Ihitte Nansa.
“The neutralized members had taken position to launch one of their primed rocket launchers, when they were engaged and taken out by the vigilant troops.
“The fearless troops were unhurt, as Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) deployed by the irredentists exploded at Eke Ututu Market, destroying some of the shops in the market.”
Eke Ututu market, the statement noted, has recently become a flash point as “dissidents often ambush troops using explosives and fire arms from within and around the market, while troops are on routine patrol.”
It said that the Explosive Ordnance Device (EOD) team recovered several Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) locally fabricated rocket launchers after the incident, which were planted along the road.
Troops, the statement said, will continue to ensure there is no safe haven for all criminal elements operating around Orsu and Orsumoghu general area.