Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation UDO KA, launched a daring assault on Mother Valley, a long-standing enclave of the Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network (IPOB/ESN) in Nkwere, Anambra State, killing one fighter and injuring several others.
A military source told The Nation on Friday that the operation, conducted for over three hours on Thursday, February 26, also led to the destruction of the group’s enclave.
The source said, “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.”
“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.
“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.”
According to the military source, troops arrested two suspected IPOB members while attempting to emplace an IED and monitor troop movements.
The suspects are currently in custody for profiling and further investigation, the source said, as troops sustain intensified clearance operations to deny the criminals freedom of action.
The source said the “decisive operation” had sent a clear warning to criminal elements that there would be “no hiding place, no sanctuary and no escape,” adding that the Nigerian Army remains resolute and committed to dismantling terrorist networks across the South-East and the country.
