Troops of Joint Task Force South East, Operation UDO KA II, have killed at least four suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network, ESN.
A statement issued and made available to journalists on Sunday by the Acting Deputy Director Army Public Relations, 82 Division Nigerian Army, Jonah Unuakhalu said the operation took place on Thursday along Orsumoghu-Ukpor road in Anambra State.
According to the statement, the daredevil gunmen ambushed the troops with Improvised Explosive Device (IED) before the officers engaged them in a gun battle leading to the killing of the four agitators.
Unuakhalu explained that during the gun duel, the troops countered the ambush with superior firepower and neutralized one member of the IPOB group.
He said three more bodies of the criminal elements who died due to gunshot wounds were recovered after the battle.
The statement added that two AK-47 rifles were recovered at the scene of the fire fight, saying some of the criminals escaped into the nearby bushes with various degrees of gunshot injuries.
“The Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA II wishes to reassure the good people of the South-East of its unwavering resolve and commitment to restoring lasting peace in the region as it will not relent in the fight to end the security challenges in the region.
“The Task Force, therefore, calls on law abiding and good citizens of the South-East region not to relent in providing timely, credible and reliable Information which will lead to ending the menace of insecurity occasioned by activities of the irredentist group in the region.
“Operation UDO KA II will continue combating crime and criminality in accordance with the extant rules and regulations guiding its operations”, the statement added.