No fewer than two fighters of the Eastern Security Network, the military wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra, were on Monday killed by security operatives in Asaba, Delta State.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
He said the ESN members were killed during a confrontation with a combined team of Nigerian Army, Police, and Department of State Services personnel in the Fuji Junction area of Asaba, Delta State.
Nwachukwu said the team responded to a distress call from residents in the community and on getting there, the ESN members engaged them in a fierce gun battle, adding that due to the superior power of the security agents, the criminals withdrew to their hideout.
Nwachukwu added that the IPOB members were trailed to their camps where five members were arrested and weapons recovered from them.
He said, “Combined troops of 63 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police and operatives of the Department of State Services have neutralised two IPOB/ESN fighters and arrested five others after a fierce encounter that took place on Monday, July 17, 2023, at the Fuji Junction general area in Asaba, Delta state.
“The encounter followed distress calls that the community was under attack by terrorists, to which the combined troops swiftly responded.
“The terrorists succumbed to the overwhelming firepower of the troops, after two of their members fell in the gunfight that ensued, while the survivors fled to their hideout around the Okpanam River.
“The troops in pursuit of the fleeing criminal elements successfully trailed them to their enclave in a house around the Okpanam River, where they were nabbed.
“The troops also recovered one AK-47 rifle, one pump-action semi-automatic rifle, 15 live cartridges, one AK-47 rifle magazine and a Baofeng radio receiver.”
He said the Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, lauded the combined team for their effort, urging them to sustain the synergy.
Onyema implored the public to continue cooperating with security agencies by providing actionable information to support their operations.