- Akubo said that further exploitation is ongoing as troops will continue to trail the injured terrorists and smoke them out of their hideouts and places of treatment.
Troops from the 34 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, based in Obinze, Owerri, have successfully neutralized terrorists and recovered seven weapons in Osina, Ideato North council area of Imo.
The Brigade’s Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, Capt. Joseph Akubo, released a statement to newsmen in Owerri on Saturday, detailing the operation.
According to Akubo, the terrorists were part of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
While returning from routine patrols on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, the troops responded to a distress call about an IPOB/ESN attack on the Osina community, engaging the terrorists with intense firepower and forcing them to retreat in disarray.
Two security agents, not soldiers, lost their lives in the encounter. “The corpses of the slain agents were recovered, and the troops pursued the fleeing terrorists,” Akubo said.
The troops re-engaged the IPOB/ESN elements at Nkwachi Community, neutralizing one terrorist and recovering an AK-47 rifle with a fully loaded magazine. The terrorists fled into the nearby forest.
The troops continued their pursuit, engaging the terrorists in a heavy firefight in Umalouma forest. The terrorists eventually abandoned their weapons and fled with severe gunshot injuries.
In total, the troops recovered five AK-47 rifles, one Fabrique Nationale rifle, and a tear gas launcher. Akubo noted that further operations are ongoing to trail the injured terrorists and flush them out of their hideouts.
He urged IPOB/ESN members and other criminal elements to surrender to the nearest troops’ location or face the consequences, assuring that the Brigade will ensure Imo residents celebrate the Yuletide season peacefully.
Akubo appealed to peace-loving Imo residents to support the military by providing timely intelligence on terrorist hideouts and movements, enabling security agencies to rid the state of criminality.
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