The Nigeria Army, on Saturday, said troops under the auspices of 6 Division have raided and destroyed an enclave of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB/Eastern Security Network, ESN, in Asaba, Delta State.
The operation was carried out in in collaboration with operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Disclosing this, Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, said the operation led to exchange of fire, compelling them to abandon their hideout in disarray.
The troops were said to have arrested one fighter during the raid.
The troops reportedly recovered five AK 47 rifles, three pump action semi-automatic rifles, one G3 rifle and one single-barrel gun.
Other weapons recovered include live cartridges, an electric saw, machetes, and an axe.
The troops reportedly destroyed the IPOB/ESN hideout and are on the trail of the fleeing fighters.
Nwachukwu said the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja has commended the troops and other security agencies for their effort in the ongoing operations and has charged them to sustain the momentum to restore sanity in the region.
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The ESN is a paramilitary organisation of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Similarly, four bandits were on Friday night neutralised by Operation Hadarin Daji in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
A reliable source within the troops confirmed this on condition of anonymity, adding that the troops engaged the bandits in a gun duel when they were about to attack a community in the local government.
He said, “On receiving the information, the gallant troops swiftly mobilised to the area and engaged the armed bandits in a gun duel and denied them assess to the villages.”
“After the encounter, four bandits were neutralised while others escaped with gun wounds. While repelling the attack, the troops recovered one General Purpose Machine Gun, one FN Rifle and 123 rounds of special ammunition.”
He explained that in a recent coordinated operation by the troops, they have cleared bandits’ camps at Mutuwa, Guda tudu, Kawar, Dantayawa, Gidan Kare, Mahuta and Gyado villages of Zamfara and Sokoto states.
The General Officer of 8 Division Sokoto, who is also the Commander, Joint Taskforce of Operation Hadarin Daji North-West zone, Major General Godwin Mutkut commended the troops for their efforts in flushing out the bandits in the zone.
He, however, appealed to the general public to always cooperate with the troops and continue to provide useful information on the bandits’ hideouts.