Army arrests 27 IPOB members, shoots one

The Nigerian Army said it had arrested 27 members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Imo State.

This was contained in a statement the army Operations Media Coordinator, Col. Aminu Iliyasu released on Thursday.

Iliyasu said that the army shot one of the suspects in his right leg and allegedly recovered an AK-47 rifle from one of them, Oliver Onyebunachi.

He added that the arrested members of the outlawed group, who were 23 men and four women, were apprehended by troops of 144 Battalion, 82 Division, on October 1.

According to Iliyasu, the IPOB members had a spiritual leader, Pa Michael Madumere, a 56-year-old, from the Ideator South Local Government Area of Imo State.

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He noted that the arrest was in line with the directive of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, that all army formations and unit commanders should sustain their operational activities nationwide.

Iliyasu said: “One of the suspects was shot in his right leg as he tried to shoot at our troops. Normalcy has since been restored in that area as troops continued to maintain surveillance in the general area.

“The Chief of Army Staff hereby solicits the support of our citizens in availing the army units and formations nationwide with timely information that will assist them in ridding the communities of criminal elements.”

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