IPOB terrorists flee as military, DSS comb Delta forests

Members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) fled various camps in Asaba, Delta State capital, in the early hours of Saturday.

They fled their camps following a joint raid conducted by troops of Nigerian military and the operatives of Department of State Services (DSS).

According to the Nigerian Army, the troops attached to 63 Brigade Garrison under the auspices of 6 Division of Nigerian Army and the operatives of DSS engaged the terrorists and arrested one of the fighters during a gun duel.

Giving an update on Saturday in Abuja, the spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Onyema Nwachukwu, a Brigadier-General, disclosed that some assorted weapons were recovered from their enclaves.

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Nwachukwu listed the ammunition recovered as 5 AK 47 Rifles, 3 pump action semi automatic rifles, one G3 rifle, one single barrel gun, live cartridges, electric saw, machetes, an axe and IPOB flag.

He said, “In a sustained effort to rid Nigeria of criminality, troops of 63 Bde Garrison under the auspices of 6 Division, Nigerian Army and the Department of State Services, have in an ongoing clearance operation, destroyed an enclave of the proscribed IPOB/ESN at Asaba, Delta State, today Saturday 22 July 2023.

“The troops conducted a raid operation on the fortified enclave located in the middle of a forested high ground in the early hours of the day.

“The gallant troops overpowered the IPOB fighters in the exchange of fire that followed the encounter, compelling them to abandon their hideout in disarray. The troops have destroyed the enclave and are exploiting the forest in pursuit of the fleeing fighters.”

He noted that the Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja ordered that those threatening the peace of the country should not be treated with the hand of kid gloves.

The army spokesman said Lagbaja commended the troops and other security agencies for their effort in the ongoing operations, charging them to sustain the momentum to restore sanity in the region.