- Safiu Kehinde
Troops attached to the Joint Task Force Southeast, Operation UDO KA (OPUK), has dismantled a long-standing enclave considered as the supreme headquarters of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) in Anambra state.
The taskforce, comprising of Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), reportedly stormed the enclave located at Mother Valley, Nkwere, launching a daring final foot assault on the IPOB/ESN insurgents.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the Nigerian Army Headquarters.
According to the statement, the combined troops came in contact with the armed IPOB members at the enclave after three hours of combing the difficult and restricted terrain.
Exchange of gunfire would ensue between the insurgents and the troops who neutralised one of the IPOB members while others fled with gunshot wound.
“Advanced relentlessly for over three hours through difficult and restricted terrain, the combined troops demonstrated exceptional courage, discipline, and professionalism to penetrate and dominate the valley despite fierce resistance.
“During the intense engagement, the criminals employed locally made hand-held IEDs and heavy gunfire in a desperate attempt to halt the advance.
“Undeterred, troops decisively overwhelmed the hostile elements, neutralizing one IPOB member while several others fled with gunshot wounds, effectively shattering their defensive positions and operational cohesion.”The statement partly read.
A significant cache of weapons and logistics was recovered, including two pump-action guns, one locally fabricated gun, one tear gas gun, seven gas cylinders, an electric kettle, and flags linked to extremist propaganda.
The troops also destroyed all life-support structures at the terrorists’ Supreme Headquarters in the valley, including solar panels and a Mikano generator, dealing a critical blow to their operational sustainability.
In a related operation, two suspected IPOB members were arrested by an ambush team, one while attempting to emplace an IED and the other identified as a spy monitoring troop’s movement.
Additionally, one KIA saloon car and one black Toyota Sequoia jeep were recovered from a terrorist car park within the valley.
The suspects are currently in custody for profiling and further investigation, while troops continue aggressive clearance operations to deny the criminals any freedom of action.
The decisive operation, according to the Nigerian Army, sends a clear and unmistakable warning to all criminal elements: there will be no hiding place, no sanctuary and no escape.
The Army reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling all terrorist networks across the Southeast and the entire nation.