The Ebonyi State Police have contradicted a report by the Nigerian army claiming the killing of a suspected member of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) during a joint operation.
According to the army’s account on Thursday, troops, along with personnel from other security agencies, engaged in a raid on a camp belonging to the separatist group, resulting in the death of the suspected IPOB member. The operation, conducted under the Joint Task Force South-east Operation Udo Ka, targeted Mgbalukwu, Inyimagu, a community in the Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
However, a separate statement issued by the Ebonyi State police spokesperson, Joshua Ukandu, on Friday contradicted the army’s report. Ukandu stated that three IPOB members, not one, were killed during the operation. He further explained that upon confrontation, the suspects opened fire, leading to the neutralization of three members, with five arrests made while others escaped.
Discrepancies emerged regarding the location of the operation as well. While the army claimed it occurred in Mgbalukwu, Inyimagu, the police asserted it took place in Omini Community, both within the Izzi Local Government Area.
Moreover, the recovered items from the operation also varied between the two accounts. The police reported confiscating a range of items including firearms, ammunition, personal identification, and vehicles, while the army mentioned the recovery of specific firearms, ammunition, and stolen vehicles.
Despite these conflicting statements, an official from the Nigerian army maintained that only one suspected IPOB member was killed during the operation.
“I can authoritatively tell you that we neutralised just one (suspected IPOB member),” the official, who asked not to be named, told this newspaper Saturday morning.
When reminded that the police equally said they arrested five suspects during the operation, the army official said the police might have carried out another operation different from the joint operation.
He subsequently referred this reporter to police authorities in Ebonyi State for clarification, saying the police could be exaggerating the success recorded in the operation.
Contacted, the police spokesperson in Ebonyi State, Mr Ukandu, told PREMIUM TIMES that there was lack of information coordination regarding the operation.
But the spokesperson confirmed that both the Nigerian army and the police were referring to the same operation in their separate statements.
“I know there was some kind of mismatch in the information available and I don’t even know where to hinge it on,” he said.