Troops Attack IPOB/ESN Hideout, Capture Artillery Projectile Launchers

Troops of the 302 Artillery and 14 Field Engineer Regiments of the Nigerian Army captured two locally made Artillery Projectile Launchers from fighters of the Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed affiliate, Eastern Security Network (IPOB/ESN) on Monday 16th October 2023.

In a statement by the Director of Army Public Relations, Onyema Nwachukwu on Tuesday, disclosed that artillery weapons, armed with projectiles were seized alongside other items, as troops swooped on the dissident fighters, who fled in disarray, deserting their camp on sighting troops’ advancement.

“In the operation, one combatant of the dissident group was arrested and several items, including 48 rounds of 7.62 mm NATO ammunition, 4 mobile phones, one handheld communication radio, and a substance suspected to be cannabis, among others, were recovered by the troops.”

Also, in a similar event, troops of the 34 Artillery Brigade conducted an offensive attack kn oil thieves in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State.

“Troops recovered several items from the camp, including one crude oil cooking oven, three reservoirs, several connecting hoses and pipes, three mobile phones, one Power Generating set, 3 Pumping machines, one CCTV Camera mounted on a tree top, substance suspected to be cannabis and some fetish objects.”

Meanwhile, the troops on the same day, uncovered and destroyed an illegal refining site, operating with several drums and crude oil ovens, laden with stolen crude oil, a dugout pit containing about 50,000 liters of crude oil, and 57 sacks of illegally refined automation gas oil.

However, the sacks of illegally refined products were surreptitiously concealed in a community health center at Egbema Shell and Egbema West respectively in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State.