Several gunmen, suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), have been reportedly killed in an encounter with the police in the Orlu area of Imo State.
A police source confirmed to journalists that members of the proscribed group were on their way to attack the Orlu Police Station.
The gunmen were, however, ambushed and killed on Thursday, in a joint counter-attack by the military and police operatives.
The security sources also said that several stolen vehicles used by the militants in their operation were recovered. A video of the group earlier setting out for the attack has also been released.
The video showed the IPOB militants boarding vehicles as they embarked on the thwarted operation.
Orlu, which is the alleged location of the attack, is the second-largest city in South-East Nigeria.
This came two weeks after a joint operation consisting of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and Department of State Services killed the Number 2 man of the IPOB militant, Commander Ikonso, and six other members of the group.
It was learned that Ikonso was killed in the early hours of April 24, while two other members were arrested.
The Late IPOB Commander was also said to be the coordinator of all the operations of the group in the South-East, including the attack on the Imo State Police Headquarters on April 5 and several other attacks in security and military personnel and facilities.
Security operatives were reported to have joined the IPOB’s operational headquarters in Awomamma village, Orlu East Local Government Area of the Imo State, where they engaged the militant in a gunfire battle.
Commander Ikonso and six others of his colleagues eventually died in the superior firepower of the security men.
The late Ikonso was said to have carried out series of violent attacks on security personnel and formations in the South-East and South-South of the country.
The operation was part of the deliberate efforts by the police and other security agencies to quell the activities of the militants in Imo State and other states of the South-East and South-South region of the country.
Several sophisticated weapons including six AK-47 rifles, hundreds of ammunition of different caliber, and charms meant to ward off bullets were recovered from the gunmen.
