The Nigerian military reported that separatists carried out a deadly “surprise” assault on a checkpoint in southeastern Abia State, resulting in the deaths of at least 11 individuals. The attack on Thursday, attributed to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement, left six civilians and five soldiers dead at the Obikabia junction in Aba, according to Major-General Edward Buba, a defense spokesperson. Buba emphasized a robust military response, promising overwhelming force to ensure the group’s total defeat.
IPOB, which seeks an independent state for the ethnic Igbo people in southeastern Nigeria, denied involvement in the attack. IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful condemned the assault on military personnel, attributing it to politically motivated “criminals”.
The attack coincided with the region’s commemoration of victims of the three-year civil war that began on May 30, 1967, when Igbo officers declared Biafra’s independence. IPOB noted it had ordered a stay-at-home directive for “Biafra Day” and asserted it would not conduct strikes during this period of mourning.
