Troops of the 82 Division, Nigerian Army, made up of troops of 34 Artillery Brigade, in conjunction with troops of Nigerian Navy, Air Force, and other security agencies, on Tuesday, 30 August, neutralized two combatants of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant wing Eastern Security Network (ESN) on Eke Ututu–Ihitte Nansa road in Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State.

In a statement, Director, Army Public Relations, Brig-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said the troops encountered the dissidents while carrying out a raid operation around the general area of Orsu Ihitte Ukwa and Ihitte Nansa.

He added that the neutralized members had taken position to launch one of their primed rocket launchers, when they were engaged and taken out by the vigilant troops.

Nwachukwu said the fearless troops were unhurt, as Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) deployed by the irredentists exploded at Eke Ututu Market, destroying some of the shops in the market.

He said Eke Ututu market had recently become a flash point as “dissidents often ambush troops using explosives and fire arms from within and around the market, while troops are on routine patrol.”

The Army spokesperson said after the incident that the Explosive Ordinance Device (EOD) team recovered several Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) planted on the road, as well as locally fabricated rocket launchers.

He said the troops would continue to ensure there was no safe haven for all criminal elements operating around Orsu and Orsumoghu general area.