The Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) has dared the Nigerian Military to publicly present evidence of its acclaimed killing of Eastern Security Network (ESN) members in Abia State.
Security agencies led by the Nigerian Army and operatives of the militia arm of the secessionist group on Tuesday evening clashed with dozens killed.
The incident, according to anonymous military source, occurred at Ariaria market junction, Aba area of the state, where about 16 members of the militia group were gunned down.
A local source at the area which confirmed to TODAY POLITICS that the incident did occurred around 7pm said that casualties were recorded on both sides of the warring factions but the security agencies painted it as if they suffered no fatality.
But disputing the claim, Emma Powerful, spokesman of IPOB, challenged the security agencies to present evidence to back up their claims that those killed are members of the ESN and not unarmed civilians whom they are fond of killing extrajudicially.
“Ask the army and police to show pictures or videos of those ESN operatives they killed,” Mr Powerful told Sahara Reporters when contacted on Wednesday. “Army, police, air force, including all the other security outfits in Nigeria cannot do ESN anything, not when they killed innocent citizens and they tagged them ESN operatives.
“Ask the soldiers to disclose where ESN camp is located and how it looks like. Don’t mind the army propaganda machine because we know them before they come, they can’t deceive us. ESN is rooted and Nigerian security agencies cannot come across them.
“ESN is out to defend and protect our land and forest; nothing they can do to stop us. Let them come; we are waiting for them. Let them show the bodies of those they claimed to have killed. Nigerian soldiers should stop lying to the public,” he added.
