Army announces capture of IPOB, ESN ‘founding father’

By Ayooluwa Ayobami

The Defence Headquarters has announced the arrest of a suspected “founding father” of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), during recent operations in the Southeast.

In a biweekly press briefing on Thursday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major Gen Edward Buba, revealed that the arrests took place in Orsu, Imo State, as well as in Amaruku and Arochukwu in Abia State.

Buba identified the suspect as Pius Iguh, stating, “In the South-East, troops from Operation Udoka, Forward Operational Base (FOB), Orsu, conducted a sting operation that led to the apprehension of Mr. Pius Iguh, a terrorist leader associated with IPOB and ESN. He is known to oversee operations in the Orsu area of Imo State.”

In a separate operation, troops at FOB Amaruku targeted an IPOB commander’s location, resulting in the capture of Emmanuel Onwugu in Mbano Local Government Area, Abia State.

Additionally, the troops arrested Ifeanyi Rock, described as a “notorious cult leader,” along with ten of his commanders in the Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State. The operations were carried out in collaboration with various security forces, emphasizing the commitment to addressing security challenges in the region.