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The joint forces of the 302nd Artillery and 14th Field Engineer Regiments within the Nigerian Army successfully retrieved weaponry from a facility associated with the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed counterpart, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
This announcement was made in a statement issued on Tuesday by Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations.
The Army statement declared, “During operations against insurgent elements on Monday, October 16, 2023, combined troops from the 302nd Artillery and 14th Field Engineer Regiments of the Nigerian Army seized two locally fabricated Artillery Projectile Launchers from individuals affiliated with the Indigenous People of Biafra and the Eastern Security Network (IPOB/ESN).”
“The captured artillery pieces, along with other items, were recovered as our troops swiftly descended upon the dissident fighters, who scattered and abandoned their encampment upon the approach of our forces.”
“In the course of this operation, one combatant from the dissident group was apprehended, and several items, including 48 rounds of 7.62 mm NATO ammunition, four mobile phones, one handheld communication radio, and a substance believed to be cannabis, among other things, were secured by our troops.”
Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu further reported that on the same day, soldiers from the 34th Artillery Brigade conducted an offensive campaign against individuals involved in oil theft within the Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State. During this operation, they discovered and confiscated various items, such as a makeshift crude oil cooking apparatus, three storage tanks, multiple connecting hoses and pipes, three mobile phones, a power generator, three pumping machines, a hidden CCTV camera mounted on a tree, a substance suspected to be cannabis, and various superstitious artifacts.
Additionally, the same troops conducted a parallel operation, unveiling and dismantling an illegal oil refining site that was equipped with numerous drums and crude oil ovens containing pilfered crude oil. A dugout pit containing approximately 50,000 liters of crude oil and 57 sacks of illicitly refined automotive gas oil were discovered. It was surprising to find these sacks of illicitly refined products clandestinely stashed in a community health center situated at Egbema Shell and Egbema West within the Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State.
Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu quoted Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, who reiterated the Nigerian Army’s unwavering commitment to preserving peace within the nation.
