Southeast: Troops Arrest ESN Founding Father, IPOB Commander, Notorious Cultists
By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
Troops of Forward Operating Base (FOB) Orsu, in Imo state have arrested an Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) terrorist leader, identified as Pius Iguh.
Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Edward Buba, who disclosed this at a press briefing on Thursday, said Iguh is a founding father of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) group in Orsu general area of Imo State.
Similarly, and also in the Southeast, troops at FOB Amaruku conducted a raid that resulted in arrest of another IPOB terrorist commander identified as
Emmanuel Onwugu. He was arrested in Mbano LGA of Abia State.
Relatedly, troops and security forces in a combined sting operation arrested a notorious cult leader named Ifeanyi Rock. He was arrested with 10 of his combatants in Arochukwu in Abia State.
Updating defence correspondents on the activities of troops in the ongoing military operations against terrorism, Buba said during the week under review, troops neutralised 140 and arrested 135 persons. They also arrested 18 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 76 kidnapped hostages.
The ongoing counter terrorism and counter insurgency operations of the armed forces have dealt significant blows to terrorist capabilities, thus denying them from accomplishing their strategic objectives.
He said that as the war wages, troops continue to find innovative solutions to the challenges faced in the conduct of operations and retain operational flexibility.
In the SS, troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of One Billion Seven Hundred and Fifty One Million Eight Hundred and Eighty Six Thousand Five Hundred and Fifty Naira (N1,751,886,550.00) only.
Furthermore, troops recovered 241 assorted weapons and 3,254 assorted ammunition. The breakdown as follows: 141 AK47 rifles, one PKT gun, 2 FN rifles, 17 fabricated rifles, 26 dane guns, 13 pump action guns, 4 locally made pistols, one barreta pistol, 2 bayonets and 42 AK-47 magazines.
Others are: 2,016 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 970 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 33 rounds 7.62 x 54mm ammo, 76 rounds of 9mm ammo, 113 live cartridges, 2 baofeng radios, 3 vehicles, 31 motorcycles, 18 mobile phones and the sum of N79,052,150.00 and 19$ only amongst other items.
In the Niger Delta area, troops discovered and destroyed 33 crude oil cooking ovens, 19 dugout pits, 41 boats, 70 drums, 22 storage tanks and 47 illegal refining sites.
Other items recovered include 13 speedboats, one tricycle, 4 motorcycles, 3 vehicles among others. Troops recovered 1,122,710 litres of stolen crude oil and 557,210 litres of illegally refined AGO.
Buba assured that the military “will defeat the terrorist on the battlefield and in their hiding places in order that the country can flourish again”.
He therefore called on citizens to see themselves as the outstretched arm of the military and never to give terrorism any oxygen on which to thrive in
our nation.
