In a significant breakthrough, the Joint Task Force, South-East, known as Operation UDO KA II, has successfully cleared four notorious camps belonging to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliates, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), in Imo State.
During the clearance operation, the troops were able to neutralize two members of IPOB/ESN, while four criminals were apprehended in the process.
The Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, Jonah Unuakhalu, made this known in a statement issued on Monday in Enugu. The statement was released on behalf of the Joint Task Force Operation UDO KA II of the Nigerian Army’s 82 Division.
The cleared camps were located in three communities – Ihube, Aku, and Umulolo – in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State.
The operation, which took place on October 1, 2023, also involved the recovery of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that were strategically deployed along the route to the camps.
Despite the presence of these IEDs, the troops, equipped with superior firepower, forced the irredentist group members to retreat into neighboring forests, some with gunshot wounds.
“It was discovered that the camps were being used for heinous activities such as cannibalism, occult practices, and ritual killings aimed at instilling fear in law-abiding citizens,” said Unuakhalu.
During the clearance operation, a significant number of fresh and decomposed corpses were found, serving as evidence of the atrocities committed within the camps.
Unuakhalu further stated that the dwellings of two spiritual leaders and herbalists who escaped the operation were demolished.
In addition, the shrine of the wanted terrorist, Amobi Chinoso Okafor, also known as Temple, was destroyed. This shrine was notorious for the sacrifice of human lives.
Among the items recovered from the camps were various denominations of Biafra currencies, a new power bike, four motorcycles, solar panels, POP cement, and a petroleum tanker, thought to have been hijacked by Igbo indigenes trying to make a living through hard work.
“Operation UDO KA II will continue to combat crime and criminality in line with the existing rules and regulations guiding our operations,” Unuakhalu assured.
He urged law-abiding citizens of the South-East region to join forces in the fight against these nefarious terrorists by providing timely, credible, and reliable information that will help put an end to the insecurity caused by the activities of the terrorist group.
“Do not fall victim to their sacrilegious acts. These criminals are tarnishing the reputation of Igboland,” he concluded.
