Combined Troops Kill Two IPOB Fighters, Arrests Five Others In ‘Fierce Encounter’

Two fighters of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Eastern Security Network (ESN) have been killed by security forces at Fuji Junction general area in Asaba, Delta state.

The two fighters were killed in a fierce encounter with combined troops of 63 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police, and Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday 17 July 2023.

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu.

General Nwachukwu said the encounter followed distress calls that the community was under attack by the terrorists,  to which the combined troops swiftly responded.

“The terrorists succumbed to the overwhelming firepower of the troops, after two of their members fell in the firefight that ensued, while the survivors fled to their hideout around Okpanam river,” the statement reads.

“The gallant troops in pursuit of the fleeing criminal elements, successfully trailed them to their enclave in a house around Okpanam river, where they were nabbed.

“The troops also recovered one AK 47 Rifle, one Pump Action Semi-Automatic Rifle, 15 Live Cartridges, one AK 47 Rifle Magazine, and a Baofeng Radio Receiver.”

The statement called on members of the public to continue to cooperate with the security agencies by providing actionable information to support their operations to tackle security challenges.

In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that the 25-year-old man, Meshach Isinugo better known as Big Shark, arrested by the Delta State Police Command for stealing a Mercedes Benz from a car dealer in Abuja has denied committing the crime.

He said he only drove the car from Abuja to Delta State for business.