Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has slammed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on 10 local governments in the Orlu Zone of the state, as a fallout of the latest clash between security forces and members of the Eastern Security Network, the military arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra.
The affected local government areas include Orlu, Orsu, Isu-Njaba, Nwangele, Oru East, Nkwere Ideato North and Ideato South.
The latest fight between the combined team of soldiers and police against the ESN members was said to have taken place around Ogbosisi axis close to Banana junction Orlu, with an unconfirmed number of casualties.
Sources say the military was on a revenge mission for the deaths of their colleagues said to have been killed in a previous encounter with IPOB volunteers.
“There are no authoritative numbers on casualties,” a source said by phone from Owerri, the Imo State capital on Tuesday. “There are claims that soldiers were killed; there are also claims that civilians were killed. Nobody has any valid, authoritative figures,” he added.
Sources say the fight led to the burning of houses, including a church, and vehicles.
“It’s a war front. What we are reporting is the ones we’ve heard or heard from authoritative sources,” source said.
ESN is a brainchild of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of IPOB, who is currently directing the affairs of the organization from exile. Videos of the network’s volunteers training in the deep forests of Igboland have recently flooded online media.
