The Nigerian army on Sunday allegedly invaded the home of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, barely 24 hours after it announced the start of its second phase of Operation Python Dance II in the South-Eastern states.
The military personnel, who stormed Kanu’s home with an armoured vehicle were resisted by some members of the pro-Biafra group.
Some IPOB were reportedly shot in the process.
According to the spokesman of IPOB, Emma Powerful, about five youths were killed and about 30 were injured.
“The Hausa Fulani soldiers and Police Nigerian uniforms came to kill our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in his compound at Afaraukwu Umuahia and started shooting sporadically and killed five people and up to thirty people with bullets wounds, after attacking our people they went off, they came with 5 hilux vans,” he said.
Every effort made to obtain reaction from the Nigerian Army failed as the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 82 Division, Enugu, Colonel Sagir Musa did not pick all the calls put across .
NewsWireNGR Recalls that the Military had Friday, said it would commence its second phase of Exercise PYTHON DANCE, tagged Python Dance II, otherwise known as EGWU EKE II, in the South Eastern part of Nigeria, comprising states such as Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, from Friday 15 September to Saturday 14 October 2017.
It said the Exercise Python Dance II “is conceptualised to transit into real time operations…against violent criminals and agitators when called upon.”
A statement signed on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai, by the Army Chief of Training and Operations, said the conduct of the exercise Python Dance II in the South East states has become even more expedient due to the “mindless assassinations (even in religious places), attack on security personnel, theft of weapons, armed banditry, kidnapping, cultism and violent agitations, as well as other security challenges that have recently become prevalent in the South Eastern part of the country.”
