Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the outlawed IPOB, said that protests from IPOB and various Igbo support groups forced the clarification by the Australian-based Institute.
The army says the exercise will check “the menace of IPOB” and Eastern Security Network.
On Monday, the South-South governors approved the establishment of a joint regional security outfit to address insecurity in their region.
The Nigerian Army says ESN and IPOB did not kill six of its soldiers and that its troops in Abia are not on a revenge mission.
“When we hear a gunshot, we will run and abandon the money we amassed.”
“They commit a lot of crimes and say that they are IPOB.”
In a 44 seconds video sent to The Gazette, lifeless bodies of the killed ESN members were seen in the pool of their blood.
