Orsu, Imo State: The Joint Task Force (JTF) under Operation UDO KA has reclaimed Orsu Local Government Area from bandits and has called on displaced indigenes to return home. Security officials say the operation has restored calm, paving the way for resettlement and a return to normalcy.
Lt.-Col. Jude Abuo, Garrison Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Obinze, Owerri, addressed newsmen during a media tour of the recovered communities in Orsu, Imo, on Tuesday.
Abuo said that the JTF, comprising officers of the Nigerian Army, Air Force, Deep Blue, Police and NSCDC, had carried out the operation continuously since Feb. 2, with support from the community vigilante.
He said the operation aligns with the Chief of Army Staff’s command philosophy, advancing the transformation of the Nigerian Army into an adaptable, professional, combat-ready, and resilient force that can decisively discharge its constitutional roles within joint and multi-operational environments.
He added that the JTF is clearing the LGA of elements of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing.
“We have been able to push them out of this place, gain more ground, and detonate Improvised Explosive Devices, which they used as force multipliers.
“We have captured the mother valley, as you can see, and we have not lost any men on this operation.
“We can assure you that this local government will be free from the IPOB in days to come, and we call on indigenes to return to their homes without fear,” he said.
He further said he invited the media to debunk allegations that previously released images from the operation had been manipulated or falsely presented as originating from Oyo and Lagos.
He described the images as authentic and from ongoing operations.
Speaking, the President-General of the Orsu Ihietukwa clan, Chief Chika Obuladike, thanked the Nigerian military for its intervention and urged it to extend the operation to other volatile areas.
Ezeani Ikedinekpere, Youth Leader of Orsu Ihietukwa, pledged continued collaboration with the military for operational success.