Combined efforts of the 302 Artillery and 14 Field Engineer Regiments of the Nigerian Army led to the successful capture of two locally fabricated Artillery Projectile Launchers, marking a significant achievement in their ongoing operations against insurgents. The operation specifically targeted the fighters associated with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate, the Eastern Security Network (ESN) in Anambra.
According to Director, Army Public Relations Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the captured artillery weapons, armed with projectiles, were confiscated alongside a cache of additional items as the troops closed in on the dissident fighters. The insurgents, witnessing the advancing troops, hastily abandoned their camp in disarray. During this operation, one combatant from the dissident group was apprehended, and various materials were seized. These materials included 48 rounds of 7.62 mm NATO ammunition, four mobile phones, one handheld communication radio, and a substance suspected to be cannabis, among other items.
In a separate mission executed on the same day, troops from the 34 Artillery Brigade launched an offensive operation against oil thieves in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State. The operation yielded significant results as troops uncovered and confiscated various materials from the thieves’ camp. Among the items retrieved were a crude oil cooking oven, three reservoirs, several connecting hoses and pipes, three mobile phones, one power generator set, three pumping machines, a CCTV camera installed on a tree, and substances suspected to be cannabis, in addition to some fetish objects.
In a related development, the same group of troops engaged in a similar operation on the same day, uncovering and dismantling an illegal oil refining site. This site, operating with numerous drums and crude oil ovens containing stolen crude oil, concealed a dug-out pit holding approximately 50,000 liters of crude oil and 57 sacks filled with illegally refined automotive gas oil. Remarkably, these sacks of illicitly refined products were surreptitiously hidden within a community health center in Egbema Shell and Egbema West in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State.
Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff, reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s unwavering commitment to preserving peace and security throughout the nation. He charged the troops to remain resolute and uncompromising in their battle against terrorists, economic saboteurs, and other criminal entities operating within the country. General Lagbaja also encouraged the public to provide credible information to security agencies, enhancing the ongoing efforts to bolster security nationwide.
The operations conducted by the Nigerian Army troops on October 16, 2023, reflect their dedication to safeguarding the nation’s integrity and resources, as well as maintaining the safety of its citizens.
