Separatist group kills 5 soldiers in southeast Nigeria

By Timothy Olanrewaju

ABUJA, Nigeria (AA) - At least five soldiers were killed by a secessionist group during an ambush on a military base in Nigeria's southeastern Abia state, the army said on Friday.

Maj. Gen Edward Buba, spokesman for defense operations, in a statement, said armed men of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which is proscribed by the Nigerian government, rode in three tinted SUVs to attack the military checkpoint at Obikabia junction in Obingwa local government area on Thursday.

The "surprise" assault, latest in the region rife with violence, took the lives of soldiers deployed as peacekeepers, the spokesman said, adding that investigation concerning the attack continues.

The military is determined to retaliate against this "dastardly act" against troops, Buba said, adding that it would be "fierce" in its response. "We would bring overwhelming military pressure on the group to ensure their total defeat," he said.

The IPOB wants to carve out a separate state for the ethnic Igbo people. The region in the 1960s attempted to secede under the name of the Republic of Biafra.

Nnamdi Kanu, the movement’s leader who was arrested in Kenya in 2021, is currently on trial in Nigeria on “terrorism” charges.