Pascal Oparada
There were palpable fears on Sunday as military aircrafts stormed Orsu and Ihiteukwa villages in Imo State in search of members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
Video footage posted on social media shows residents of the village scampering for safety as the aircrafts hovered very close to them.
Women and Children returning from church were seen fleeing as the aircraft circled the village multiple times.
“This is happening for the third time within the past one week. Yesterday, our area was bombarded by military helicopters almost immediately after the people of the community ended their church services.
“Helicopters and armoured tanks threaten communities in Orsu and people cannot go about their livelihood in peace. Due to the panic, some schools send children home, some businesses have shut down abruptly and there is panic everywhere till this very moment,” another resident lamented,” a voice was heard narrating in the video.
In December 2020, the Nigerian military first deployed aircraft and soldiers to communities in the South-East region in search of ESN members.
On Monday a spokesperson for the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), said the body will drag the federal government to International Criminal Court over the loss of lives in the South East.
The spokesperson said over 500 dead bodies allegedly killed by the Nigerian military were found in a mortuary in the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri in Imo State.
