Troops of the Nigerian Army, in cooperation with sister security agencies, have raided and destroyed the supreme headquarters of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) at Mother Valley, Orsu council area of Imo.
The Force Commander of Joint Task Force South-East, Operation Udo Ka, Maj.-Gen. Hassan Dada, made this revelation during a press briefing held at Eke Ututu in Orsu Local Government Area (LGA) of Imo state on Friday.
According to the reports from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Operation Udo Ka, launched on February 11, 2024, saw the participation of troops from the Nigerian Army, Navy, and Air Force, alongside personnel from the Nigerian Police Force, Department of State Services, and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.
The commander stated that the operation led to the clearance and liberation of Ihiteukwa, Eke Ututu, and Ihittenansa towns in Imo state, as well as Orsumoghu and Lilu towns in Ihiala and Ekwusigo LGAs of Anambra state.
He further revealed that the headquarters, serving as the final stronghold of IPOB, is situated in Mother Valley, spanning the Orsu and Ihiala LGAs of Imo and Anambra states, respectively.
“It is about 5,000 feet below sea level,” Dada disclosed.
He elaborated that the forest’s well-hidden location provided terrorists with excellent concealment from aerial surveillance, functioning as both their command and control center and military council headquarters.
Additionally, he mentioned that during the raid, the latest of which occurred on Thursday, March 7, the brave troops encountered, detonated, and retrieved numerous Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and assorted obstacles. These obstacles were successfully cleared by the determined troops.
Moreover, he noted that the troops engaged with the terrorists, overpowering them with superior firepower, and neutralized many of them. Those who sustained various gunshot wounds fled into nearby bushes.
“In addition to many weapons, equipment, IEDs and stolen vehicles recovered over the last three weeks, items recovered in the Mother Valley include three G3 rifles, nine automatic pump action rifles, seven double barrel guns, two locally-made pistols, two rocket-propelled grenade bombs, two AK 47 magazines, and one G3 magazine.
“Others were 26 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 16 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, 72 Pump Action Cartridges, one chainsaw, one laptop, one CCTV DVR, 26 CCTV cameras, 17 Baofeng radios with batteries, and 10 without batteries and their chargers.
“Also recovered were six handheld IEDs, 26 Android phones, 25 ordinary phones, one inverter, one SIM card registration machine, four POS machines, three motorcycle batteries for igniting IEDs, two trumpets, two Biafra flags, 20 ESN certificates, two diaries containing details of ammunition and food supplies, and two pairs of Biafra Liberation Army uniforms.
“The joint troops also destroyed about 50 tents in the valley housing the Supreme Headquarters, IPOB/ESN command and control centre, Buteuzor’s hideout and residence, offices, their logistics base, temples, and shrines used for occultic practices, among many other items,” he said.
Dada praised the cooperation of the people of Imo and Anambra with the security agencies, urging them to promptly report any unfamiliar individuals in their communities to Operation Udo Ka. He instructed them to dial the emergency line 193 and select option 2 from their mobile phones for this purpose.
He urged the leaders of the liberated communities to return to their native lands and mobilize community efforts to prevent any non-residents from returning to disrupt their communities.
Dada expressed gratitude to Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Christopher Musa, and Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja for their support, advice, and guidance during the operation. He assured that the troops would continue to provide security assistance to affected communities within legal bounds.
Additionally, in a demonstration of civil-military cooperation, the Force Commander presented gift items, including bags of rice and cartons of noodles, to the women of the Eke Ututu market, as reported by NAN.