The Nigerian Army has announced the successful dismantling of a bomb fabrication facility associated with the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant group, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), located in Anambra and Imo states in southeastern Nigeria.
In a statement released on its official Facebook page on Thursday, the Army revealed that these operations also led to the destruction of various IPOB hideouts during clearance initiatives at "Camp Gbadoanya" situated in Orsumoghu, a locality within the Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra.
Ihiala shares borders with several communities in Imo State.
According to the army, the operations commenced on March 3, incorporating collaboration with other security personnel, including the Nigerian Air Force, which provided close air support.
The primary objective of this coordinated mission is to restore enduring peace and security within the region.
The combined forces aimed to eradicate any remaining IPOB and ESN insurgents operating from the camp and its adjacent regions.
During the course of the operations, numerous insurgent camps were located, thoroughly examined, and subsequently destroyed, as stated by the army.
They reported the dismantling of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) fabrication site, which was also thoroughly exploited and eradicated.
Among the items recovered from the suspects were pump action shotguns, handmade dane guns, a variety of rifle magazines, different rifle operational components, belts of ammunition, and cutting machinery.
In addition, a Biafran flag and a flag representing the Biafran Army Headquarters were retrieved by the troops. The army remarked that these flags were destroyed, and the Nigerian flag was subsequently raised in their place at the camps.
On March 4, the troops also demolished further IPOB camps in the area as part of their ongoing operations.
“Several items utilized in the making of IEDs were seized from these sites,” the army reported.
Some of the materials recovered during these operations included welding machines, drilling machines, and filling machines, along with numerous car batteries, one electrode welding handle, 12 locally manufactured firearms, and various IED equipment.
IPOB, which seeks to establish a sovereign state of Biafra from parts of southeastern and southern Nigeria, has been implicated in various violent incidents across the two regions; however, the group has repeatedly denied any participation in these attacks.
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