Troops of Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA II on Sunday cleared four camps of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliates the Eastern Security Network (ESN) in Ihube, Aku and Umulolo in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State.
According to a statement by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the troops encountered stiff resistance from the IPOB/ESN fighters.
However, the troops overpowered the secessionists and cleared their camps, destroying their logistics and communication facilities.
The statement added that the troops also rescued two women who were held hostage by the IPOB/ESN elements.
The operation came days after the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) announced that it successfully destroyed hideouts of the IPOB/ESN in Anambra and Imo States.
The NAF said it conducted air strikes on Orsumoghu Forest spanning Anambra and Imo state, where the IPOB/ESN had established training camps and logistics bases.
The NAF spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said the air strikes were carried out by a combination of NAF platforms after credible intelligence reports indicated that the IPOB/ESN elements were using the forest as a staging area to plan and execute attacks on security forces and infrastructure.
He said the air strikes resulted in the neutralisation of several IPOB/ESN fighters and the destruction of their structures, equipment and vehicles.
The IPOB/ESN has been accused of being behind a series of attacks on security personnel and facilities in the South East region, as well as other criminal activities such as kidnapping, extortion and murder.
The group, which is seeking to secede from Nigeria and create an independent state of Biafra, has also been proscribed by the Federal Government as a terrorist organisation.
