By VICTOR NWACHUKWU

Owerri, Dec. 28, 2024 (NAN) Troops of 34 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Obinze, in Owerri, have neutralised terrorists and recovered seven weapons in Osina, Ideato North council area of Imo.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Brigade’s Acting Assistant Director Army Public Relations, Capt. Joseph Akubo, and made available to newsmen in Owerri, on Saturday.

Akubo said that the terrorists were elements of the proscribed terrorist group of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

He said that the troops, while returning from routine patrols on Friday Dec. 27, 2024, responded to a distress call of IPOB/ESN attack on Osina community where they engaged the terrorists with overwhelming fire power as the dissidents withdrew in disarray.

According to him, two security agents, not soldiers, were killed in action.

“The corpses of the slain agents were recovered and the troops proceeded in pursuit of the fleeing terrorists.

“Contact was again made with the criminal IPOB/ESN elements at Nkwachi Community and in the firefight that ensued, one of the dissidents was neutralized while others who could not withstand the troop’s fire power ran into the nearby forest.

“One AK-47 rifle with a fully loaded magazine was recovered.The unrelenting troops continued to pursue the remnant of the criminals deep into Umalouma forest where a heavy firefight further broke out.

“The dissidents finally abandoned their weapons due to the troops’ superior fire power and scampered into the thickly forested area with severe gunshot injuries “, he said.

He added that an additional four Ak 47 rifles, one fabrique nationale rifle and five (2) magazines were recovered, making a total of five AK 47, and one FN rifles and a tear gas launcher were recovered.

Akubo also said that further exploitation is ongoing as troops will continue to trail the injured terrorists and smoke them out of their hideouts and places of treatment.

He urged all IPOB/ESN irredentists and other criminal elements hiding in the bushes to surrender to the nearest troops’ location or meet their waterloo as troops of the Brigade will continue to ensure that Imo people celebrate the Yuletide season in peace without fear or intimidation.

Akubo, however, appealed to peace loving Imo residents to continue to support the military by supplying timely intelligence on the hideouts and movements of the terrorists to enable security agencies rid the state of all criminality. (NAN)