Troops of the Nigerian Army from the 6 Division Garrison, Port Harcourt and 29 Battalion, together with other security agencies, have killed seven members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the militant arm of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The Nigerian Army, which disclosed this in a statement, said five other members of the group were also arrested.
The army said its men conducted the Clearance/Raid Operation at suspected IPOB/ESN enclaves at Agbomchia Forest along Pipeline Road Ogali/Komkom boundary between Eleme and Oyigbo Local Government Areas of Rivers State, together with the operatives of the Nigerian Police, State Security Service and the NSCDC.
This was disclosed in a statement on Saturday by Army spokesperson, Mohammed Yerima.
He said the operation was conducted on Thursday.
The raid came a week after security agents arrested a dismissed lance corporal allegedly responsible for training and recruiting members into the ESN.
ESN is alleged to be responsible for the killing of security agents and destruction of public properties in the South-East and South-South regions.
The statement said that the group engaged security agents in a firefight but that troops suffered no casualties.
“Various items belonging to the criminals, including arms and ammunition, were also recovered by the security forces.
“The camp was promptly destroyed while suspects and corpses were handed over to the police for further actions,” the statement added.
It also urged members of the public to always avail the troops with accurate and timely information that will help in tracking down and neutralise the so-called Unknown Gunmen (UGM) who are terrorizing the region.
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