One killed, suspects’ vehicle recovered as troops clash with gunmen in Imo

The Nigerian Army says one person was killed in a clash between gunmen and troops of 34 artillery brigade in Imo state.

Onyema Nwachukwu, army spokesman, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

Nwachukwu said the troops were on patrol on Sunday, when they ran into the gunmen.

“Troops on routine patrol encountered members of the irredentist group who fired sporadically at Banana Junction to enforce the illegal sit-at-home order on law abiding citizens going about their legitimate businesses,” the statement reads.

“The IPOB/ESN criminals, on sighting the troops, withdrew in a blue Toyota Highlander towards Ihioma Community for reinforcement.

“In the firefight that ensued during the operation, one of the criminals was taken out, while others fled in disarray. Troops are combing the general area in follow-up operations to track down the fleeing dissidents.”

The army also denied reports on a video circulating on social media platforms alleging that troops attacked “innocent citizens”.

“Having suffered casualty and effectively denied freedom of action by the troops, the irredentist group has resorted to cheap propaganda to whip up public sentiments by circulating a doctored video on the social media alleging troops complicity in their mindless atrocities,” Nwachukwu said.

“This propaganda should be disregarded in its entirety.”