Killing Of 5 Soldiers: Military Vows To Crush IPOB, Says Response Will Be Fierce, Overwhelming
The Defence Headquarters has vowed that the military will revenge the killing of five soldiers in Abia State by purported members of militant wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the Eastern Security Network (ESN), on Thursday, according to Sahara Reporters.
The report says the soldiers were killed by gunmen at Obikabia Junction in the Obingwa Local Government Area of the state.
The gunmen were enforcing a sit-at-home order given by IPOB in remembrance of Igbo people who died during the 1967-70 Nigerian Civil War.
The proscribed separatist organization has set aside May 30 of every year, which it christens, Biafra Heroes Day, for that remembrance.
The defence headquarters on Friday accused IPOB and ESN of killing the soldiers.
In a statement on Friday by the military in reaction to the soldiers’ killing, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, vowed that the military would avenge the killing of the soldiers, insisting that the military’s response would be fierce.
The statement read in part:
Detailing how the attack happened, the statement said:
“Troops of OP UDO KA deployed at Obikabia Junction Checkpoint in Obingwa Local Government Area adjourning Aba metropolis in Abia State were attacked and sadly killed by terrorists of IPOB/ ESN.
“The troops deployed to enforce peace in the area and protect the citizens were mass attacked by the terrorists. The terrorists in 3 tinted Prado Toyota SUVs and others from built-up areas surrounding the checkpoint, sprang a surprise attack on the checkpoint.”
The statement decried the attack, saying it snuffed out the lives of five soldiers of the armed forces in the line of duty, expressing armed force’s sadness over the terrible loss.
According to General Buba, the military has launched an investigation into the tragic incident.
Buba, who pointed out that IBOP is capitalizing on the cooperation of the people to perpetrate heinous crime, stressed that winning the war against the renegades is close to being an impossible task, without the support of the people.
He added:
“Accordingly, it is absolutely imperative that the military 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…..See More
