By Cajetan Mmuta, Awka
Residents of communities near and within camps and forests bombed during airstrikes by fighter jets of operatives of Nigeria Air Force (NAF) have fled the areas in Anambra and neighbouring Imo state over the fear of worsening casualties as day and night raids continue in the areas.
Already, the entire Osumoghu community in the Nnewi South local government area and nearby remote villages of Lilu, Azia, Uli, and targeted parts of the Ihiala local government area have fled their houses.
Others are parts of Orsu Ihiteukwa, Akuma, Nnempi, Amagu, Ejemekwuru, Akatta, Amannachi, Amaebu, Ubulu, as well as villages in Orlu, Orau and Ori-West and Oru-East local government areas in Imo State, which are not spared in the targeted air strikes following the worrisome state of insecurity that has been ravaging the villages and communities.
The bombing of the areas followed intense collaboration between the two states towards flushing out all traces of unknown gunmen, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB) and Eastern Security Network (ESN) group operatives, as well as those suspected agents of Biafran Liberation Army (BLA) in the entire South-East geopolitical zone of the country.
This came as members of IPoB yesterday denied ownership of the bombed camps and forests by NAF airstrikes on Wednesday within the two sister states, in which over 35 suspected IPoB/ESN members were killed and scores injured.
NAF air operatives had on Wednesday morning bombed camps of terrorists suspected to be members of IPoB, and its militant body, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
Spokesperson of NAF, Edward Gabkwet, in a statement, said the strikes were able to hit the targets, causing the terrorists to flee.
Early yesterday, residents of villages in the Orsumoghu community started fleeing the area in droves, for fear that the terrorists may regroup and attack them.
A source close to the community said, “Our people are leaving the community now. There are rumours that the terrorists are regrouping, and there is the likelihood that, with anger, anyone they find would be their target.”
According to the source, “Those people are heartless. They do not even know who their brothers are; that is the main reason no one wants to take chances with them. I live here in Awka, but my people in the village have all left.”
Gabkwet had in his press release stated that the reason for the airstrikes was because there had been an intelligence report that the terrorists planned to conduct attacks in the localities.
*Suspected gunmen flee hideouts, source says
But less than 24 hours after the NAF launched its air strikes at the boundary of Osumoghu community located between the Nnewi South/Orsu local government areas of Anambra and Imo states, as well as that of Aku Ihube in the Okigwe local government area of Imo state, villagers and suspected members of unknown gunmen have fled the areas.
Similarly, villages in the neighbouring Lilu, Orsu-Ihiteukwa, and parts of Nnempi in both states, are also on the run as the air strikes rent the air in the areas.
About five camps belonging to IPoB/ESN were bombed, and more than 35 terrorists were killed, while a huge cache of arms dumped in the camps by the gunmen was destroyed during the air operation.
President-General of the Osumoghu community, Uzochukwu Okeke, when contacted, said he could not talk about the incident yet.
He, however, confirmed the development.
A resident of the Osumoghu community, who preferred anonymity, said the Orsumoghu community was now like a ghost town.
She said, “Please, don’t put my name because I don’t know who would read this and come after me or my family members, but what happened yesterday was like a film.
“We heard the loud noise of an aircraft and we thought that it was a plane that wanted to crash land. It passed over us and headed towards the forest, and suddenly, we started hearing a loud sound of bombing like in warfare.
“They didn’t go to where our people stay like the market square or residential areas, and those we thought could not die were running for safety. Many of them cannot be found now, and we cannot enter the bush because there was fire everywhere.”
According to her, “Since then people are packing their things that is the most that they can lay their hands on because we heard that they are going to come again.”
She said that even neighbouring towns like Orsu-Ihiteukwa and Lilu, as well as parts of Nnempi, are running away because of the rumours that there is going to be another strike by the army.
Commissioner for Homeland Matters, Chikodi Anarah, said he had not much to say, but that it was a product of the gunmen not heeding the plea by Governor Chukwuma Soludo that they should come out and lay down their arms.
Anarah stated that the security of lives and property is the first point of departure of any government and that the government owes it its responsibility to protect the people who surrendered their freedom to it.
*IPoB, ESN deny destruction of camps
Meanwhile, IPoB, in a statement issued to newsmen yesterday by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, said NAF lied, insisting that the group does not own camps in the areas mentioned.
“We debunk the claims by the Nigerian Air Force of bombing IPoB’s ESN camps at Osumoghu in Nnewi South LGA of Anambra State and Osuihiteukwa in Orsu LGA, Imo State.
“We are bold to say that the ESN does not have camps in any of the bombed locations,” he said.
The group stated that the bombed camps were those of terrorists sponsored by the leader of a splinter group, Simon Ekpa, who is based in Finland.
“The Nigeria Air Force should stop lying and blackmailing this peaceful IPoB with the so-called bombing of IPoB’s ESN camps.
“For public information, IPoB doesn’t operate camps in those locations. IPoB has offices in Biafra Land and the diaspora. We are not criminals or terrorists, otherwise, civilised countries would not give us the freedom to gather in their countries.”
Powerful added, “What IPoB has is the Eastern Security Network (ESN), whose primary duty is to secure our bushes and protect our people. The general public should ignore and disregard the rants of the Nigeria DSS-sponsored criminal and agent provocateur in Finland called Simon Ekpa and his gangsters who are always impersonating ESN to demonise IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“The Nigeria Air Force must call those criminal camps they bombed by their names and not mention ESN or IPoB.”
