Nigerian Army in Nationwide Strikes Against Armed Groups

The Nigerian army says it has carried out a series of successful operations across the country over the past 48 hours, resulting in the arrest of high-profile suspects and the deaths of several militants.

The operations, which took place from the North-East to the South-East, targeted groups including the banned IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra) and its armed wing, the ESN, as well as Islamist militants and oil thieves.

Operations in the South-East and North-Central

In the south-eastern state of Imo, the army said its troops engaged in a firefight with IPOB/ESN members, resulting in three militants being “neutralised” – a term typically meaning killed. Soldiers recovered weapons, ammunition, and communication radios.

Elsewhere in the South-East, in Abia state, troops arrested a man described as a “notorious enforcer” of the often-violent sit-at-home orders. The army alleged he used stolen ATM cards to fund the group’s activities.

In the North-Central region of Benue, the army announced a major breakthrough with the arrest of four close family members of a wanted IPOB/ESN commander. They are accused of helping to coordinate logistics and finances for the group.

Action in the North-East and South-South

In the north-eastern state of Borno, a heartland of the long-running Islamist insurgency, the army said it thwarted a planned attack by militants who were using civilians as human shields. A military tank destroyed a vehicle rigged with explosives, killing one suicide bomber.

In a separate development, 11 family members of militants, including four women and seven children, surrendered to troops in the Bama area.

Meanwhile, in the oil-rich Niger Delta region in the south, the military uncovered multiple sites used for illegally refining stolen crude oil. Thousands of litres of stolen crude and illegally refined fuel were seized, and several suspects were arrested.

The Nigerian Army stated that these operations demonstrate its resolve to dismantle criminal networks and restore peace across the country.