Insecurity: Nigerian Troops Invade ESN Camp in Imo State
- The clampdown on secessionists and their sympathizers seem to be ongoing in the southeast region of Nigeria
- A camp belonging to the Eastern Security Network in Imo state has invaded by Nigerian security forces
- During the raid, a policewoman abducted by the militia group was rescued alive while the camp was burnt down
PAY ATTENTION: Join Legit.ng Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!
Owerri, Imo - The Punch newspaper is reporting that Nigerian security operatives have destroyed one of the camps of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
According to the report, the invasion of the camp was carried out by operatives of the army, police, and Nigerian Air Force.
The dismantling of the camp reportedly took place at Amii-Akabo in Ikeduru local government area of the state.
Source: Getty Images
PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app
A police source quoted in the report revealed that one of the gang members, Osinachi Stanley, led troops to the camp where a female police inspector was being held in captivity was rescued.
An indigene of the community also alleged that no fewer than 10 houses were destroyed by the security operatives.
The sources said:
“The one arrested alive led security operatives to our village where a police inspector who was kidnapped by the gang was rescued alive. No fewer than 10 houses were destroyed by the security operatives in our village. As I speak to you now, our kinsmen are on the run.”
The police spokesperson in the state Bala Elkana, stormed the security operatives stormed the camp, rescued the woman police officer, and recovered rifles stolen by the hoodlums from the police stations they attacked.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army on Tuesday, June 8 disclosed that the ESN has killed 128 military and police personnel, as well as 15 civil defence officers, and 31 community policing members in the southeast region of the country.
The army also disclosed that the group has also killed over 100 civilians who refused to support its activities.
The Brigade Commander of 34 Artillery Brigade, Obinze, Owerri, Imo state, Brigadier-General Raymond Utsaha, made the revelations in Owerri, Imo state capital, at a joint press conference he organised held with the state commissioner of police, Abutu Yaro.
Recall that security operatives comprising the police, army and personnel of the Department of State Services on Sunday, June 6 invaded the home of IPOB's lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, at Oraifite in Ekwusigo local government area of Anambra state.
The operatives surrounded the secessionist group’s lawyer’s family house around 2.30 am, shooting sporadically.
Ejiofor later claimed that some of his aides were abducted by the security operatives during the invasion of his home.
In a related development, a group of women under the aegis of the Amalgamation of Northern Women Associations, staged a protest on Saturday, June 5, in Abuja, demanding a referendum to allow secession agitators to chose whether or not to remain in Nigeria.
The coordinator of the group, Hajia Hadiza Adamu, called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the National Assembly to urgently call for a referendum to allow those who want to secede to do so without any war.
Adamu lamented that the secessionist agitation has turned the southeast region into a warzone, adding that northerners no longer feel safe there.
Source: Legit.ng
