The bodies of four soldiers allegedly killed by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Orlu, Imo State have been recovered by the Nigerian Army.
Also, a military vehicle said to have been damaged during the clash in Orlu was also recovered.
This development was confirmed by a senior military officer quoted in a statement made available to Naija News on Wednesday by PRNigeria.
Earlier, this online news medium had published a report that the Nigerian Military has reportedly arrested 20 members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) after its operation in Orlu, Imo State.
Recall that the military had last Thursday launched a land and air operations against operatives of Eastern Security Network (ESN) believed to be in the forests in Orlu and its environs.
Justifying the deployment of the military to Orlu, Governor Hope Uzodinma had accused IPOB led by Nnamdi Kanu of planning to use ESN to cause trouble in the area.
He said the group, hiding under the pretext of chasing out Fulani herdsmen from the area plan to cause havoc in the community but he moved against them by bringing in the soldiers to maintain peace and secure the area.
The Nigerian troops in a joint operation involving the Army, Air Force and the Police sustained raid operation in the axis, after the killing of four soldiers on escort duties in the area by IPOB’s ESN.
The IPOB militia had ambushed and killed the soldiers who were on the escort of the Director Civil Affairs, Brigadier General HE Nzan and his team on inspection of the Civil-Military Project at Nkwerre. They also took away weapons and a vehicle belonging to the troops.
Meanwhile, a social media clip purportedly showing the activities of the Nigerian Army in Orlu, Imo State has been described as fake.
The Deputy Director, Public Relations Department, 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Col. Aliyu Yusuf said this in a statement on Wednesday in Enugu.
The trending video had alleged that troops of 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha, were given orders to commence the killing of people at Orlu market.
However, Yusuf said the video is the handiwork of unpatriotic individuals trying to deliberately use social media to spread lies about the army and cause fears in the mind of the citizens.