The Nigerian Army says its troops have found a hidden arms store belonging to the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed group Eastern Security Network (ESN) in Garri Area of Enugu State, in the South-east of Nigeria.
Olabisi Ayeni, the spokesperson for the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, shared this in a statement on Wednesday.
Lieutenant Colonel Ayeni said the arms cache was discovered when troops worked with the State Security Service (SSS) to raid the area on Tuesday.
"Troops uncovered a hidden arms store disguised as a pig farm within a zinc structure.
"A careful search of the site led to the recovery of a large number of weapons and ammunition," he said.
The recovered items included General Purpose Machine Guns, an RPG-7 launcher tube, AK-47 rifles, hand grenades, a tear gas gun with cartridges, and AK-47 magazines, according to the army.
They also found 270 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition and 478 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition.
The army spokesperson mentioned that some suspected IPOB members were arrested during the operation.
"All recovered items and arrested suspects have been handed over to the SSS Enugu State Command for further investigation and legal action," he said.
He added that this raid was part of the ongoing Operation Eastern Sanity II, aimed at promoting peace in the South-east.
Operation Udo Ka is leading the ongoing Operation Eastern Sanity II in the region.
Mr Ayeni explained that this raid followed a previous operation based on a tip-off from arrested IPOB/ESN fighters.
"This intelligence-driven operation shows the effective teamwork among security agencies in the region, leading to active steps against threats to national unity and public safety.
"It also shows Operation Udo Ka's commitment to taking strong actions against criminal and terrorist groups that threaten peace in the area," he said.
In a separate statement on Thursday, Mr Ayeni added that troops raided another location called "a Safe House" at Agbani in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State and found another hidden arms store.
"A thorough search of the apartment led to the recovery of more weapons and ammunition, including AK-47 rifles, AK-47 magazines, 323 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition, and 10 pairs of IPOB uniforms," he said, noting that more suspects were also arrested.
The army spokesperson reiterated that all recovered items and arrested suspects from the previous operation were handed over to the SSS for further investigation and prosecution.
He urged Nigerians to keep providing timely and credible information to security forces in the South-east to help fight against terrorism and other crimes.
"This will boost collective efforts to achieve lasting peace and security in the South-east," he said.
IPOB, a group wanting to separate the South-east and parts of the South-south from Nigeria, has been linked to some deadly attacks in these regions.
But the separatist group has denied any involvement in these attacks.
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