Five arrested as troops raid IPOB/ESN hideouts in Anambra, Imo

Troops of 82 division of the Nigerian army, police and operatives of other security agencies, have arrested five suspected members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

ESN is the paramilitary organisation of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The suspects were arrested on Monday at the Orsomoghu forest, a large hectare of land spanning Anambra and Imo states.

In a statement on Tuesday, Onyema Nwachukwu, army spokesperson, said the suspects were arrested during an operation targeted at enforcers of sit-at-home orders in the south-east zone of the country.

Nwachukwu disclosed that five soldiers and two police officers sustained bullet wounds during the operation.

“During the raid operations, the troops cleared IPOB camps in Ekeututu, Orsomoghu, Lilu and Mother Valley camps of the dissidents,” the statement reads.

“Troops came in contact with the group’s armed fighters, who detonated improvised explosive devices (IED) also known as Ogbunigwe and fired using locally fabricated mortar tube.

“The valiant troops, however, overpowered the irredentist group in the firefight, compelling them to abandon their position as they fled with gunshot wounds into nearby bushes.

“Further cordon and search of the hideouts by the troops, led to the arrest of five fleeing members of the group and recovery of one IPOB flag, one CCTV camera and 2 detonated IED bombs and a fabricated mortar tube.

“Sadly, five soldiers and two Nigeria police operatives sustained varying degrees of injuries from the IED detonated by the criminals.”