Troops of Operation Udo Ka stormed the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN) stronghold and killed one of their members in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The troops also recovered weapons and Improvised Explosive Device (IED)-making materials during the raid.

The Nigerian Army, in a statement said the operation was conducted on Saturday with Maritime Component, State Security Services and Anambra vigilante group.

It stated that it launched a coordinated dawn offensive on identified strongholds at Obene Village and Abator Village within Ochuche and Umunankwo communities.

“On sighting the advancing troops, the terrorists opened fire before abandoning their positions and fleeing into the surrounding terrain.”

“Troops responded with superior firepower and immediately pursued the fleeing elements. Blood stains observed along their withdrawal route indicated that some of the terrorists sustained gunshot wounds during the encounter,” it said.

The army added that during the pursuit, troops killed one of the terrorists, while other fleeing members escaped with the corpse of another neutralised member.

According to the army, the coordinated assault effectively dislodged the group from its strongholds, denying its members the freedom to operate or use the locations as bases for further attacks.

“A thorough exploitation of the strongholds led to the recovery of two pump-action guns, two motorcycles, IED-making materials and other sundry items,” it added.

The army further noted that it degraded the terrorists’ capacity to fabricate explosive devices for attacks against security forces, critical infrastructure and innocent civilians.

It added that troops consolidated their positions and intensified exploitation of the surrounding areas to track fleeing members of the group and prevent their regrouping elsewhere.