THE military has vowed to ‘fiercely’ retaliate against the attacks on its troops by members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Abia State while enforcing a sit-at-home order.
In a statement on Friday, May 31, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba, confirmed that the attack, which occurred on Thursday, May 30, led to the killing of five personnel.
According to Buba, who issued the statement on behalf of the Defence Headquarters, the deceased soldiers were personnel of the military attached to “Operation Udo Ka” who were on guard at Obikabia Junction Checkpoint in Aba metropolis.
The Defence Headquarters vowed that it was imperative that it “retaliate against this dastardly act against troops. The military would be fierce in its response. We would bring overwhelming military pressure on the group to ensure their total defeat”.
The military challenged the people of the South-East to dissociate from the group and identify anyone affiliating with them, stressing that otherwise, winning the war against the group would be difficult.
“Overall, it must be reiterated that the lifeline of the terrorist is the people and this situation is no exemption. Winning the war without the support of the people is close to impossible. The IPOB capitalised on this to perpetrate attacks on the troops. The situation leaves more to be desired,” the statement said.
The ICIR reported that no fewer than four soldiers were killed and one other seriously injured on Thursday, May 30, when gunmen attacked a military checkpoint in Obikabia Junction in Aba, the Abia State capital.
According to the report, about 15 hoodlums launched an attack on the soldiers at about 8:00 a.m. while allegedly enforcing a sit-at-home order declared by IPOB across the South-East states.
The group had in April and early May said there would be a sit-at-home in the South-East geo-political zone on May 30.
While describing the attack as a ‘dastardly act’ against the troops of the Nigerian Army, Buba said “The troops deployed to enforce peace in the area and protect the citizens were massively attacked by the terrorist.”
According to the Defence Headquarters, the ‘terrorists’, who were in three tinted Prado Toyota SUVs and others from built-up areas surrounding the checkpoint, sprang a surprise attack on the checkpoint, leading to the death of the personnel.
“The Armed Forces mourn the death of these troops as each and every soldier lost in battle is a terrible loss. Meanwhile, investigations are ongoing concerning the attack,” said the military.
On Wednesday, May 22, IPOB warned the West African Examination Council and the authorities of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka to shift their respective examinations scheduled for Thursday while insisting that the day was to celebrate its fallen heroes during the civil war between 1967 and 1970.
The pro-Biafran group, in a statement signed by its spokesman, Emma Powerful, said the remembrance of Biafra day remained imperative, and no government or security agency had the authority to harass any innocent person during the event.
The group noted that the warning became necessary because the movement of persons and vehicles would not be allowed on that day, except for those on essential or emergency services such as health workers, ambulances, fire service, filling stations and hospitals.
The ICIR reports that the Nigerian Army recently lost 17 of its men in Otuama, Delta State, to communal clashes.
The deaths are in addition to losses the Army and the entire Armed Forces had suffered in different parts of the country due to insecurity that has bedevilled the nation for over a decade.
The South-East, notorious for IPOB and other criminal activities, has seen a lull in insecurity under the President Bola Tinubu-led government.
It is one of Nigeria’s six geo-political zones hounded by armed non-state actors.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M