According to news reports, the Nigerian military launched air raids in the Akpawfu hamlet in the pretext of cracking down on members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), forcing many inhabitants to escape.
Residents of Akpawfu community in Enugu state’s Nkanu East local government area are gradually returning to their homes following a joint Nigerian military operation that rendered the settlement a ghost town.
According to news reports, the Nigerian military launched air raids in the Akpawfu hamlet in the pretext of cracking down on members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), forcing many inhabitants to escape.
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Around mid-October 2022, the community was heavily bombarded as land and air soldiers stormed the area in pursuit of IPOB and its militant arm, the Eastern Security Network, hidden camps and hideouts (ESN).
According to Anaedoonline.ng, the operation began on October 13 and culminated on Saturday, October 15, with military helicopters dumping explosives in woodlands within Ajeme Akpawfu village, which the ESN is believed to have used as a base.
According to security officials, several gunmen terrorizing areas of Nkanu land and Enugu city are reported to be hiding in the forest.
The hoodlums in the isolated forests also engaged the army in a shooting, but other specifics about how the operation affected people were yet unknown as of press time.
Some homes were destroyed in the process.
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IPOB is a separatist group that wants the Republic of Biafra to be restored. The government, however, has banned the group and branded it as a terrorist organization.
The area was invaded in 2021, with several hoodlums allegedly neutralized and their camps razed, but it has remained a major source of security hazard in the state.
Residents of the neighborhood evacuated to neighbouring settlements and the state capital following the latest occurrence.
On the condition of anonymity, a resident told Newsmen that he had to evacuate temporarily to Enugu city to safeguard the safety of his family following the heavy gunfire.
He said, “As I am speaking with you, people of neighbouring communities of Oruku and Akpugo said they are hearing deafening sounds of explosives and sporadic gunshots and so many people have relocated from these communities for fear of being caught down in the operation. In fact, Akpawfu is not safe right now.
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“The entire Ajeme Akawfu community has been under fire since Thursday and everybody has been running helter-skelter for safety. Truly speaking, there are many hoodlums claiming to be IPOB members and we have been living in fear. They kidnap, rape and hold people hostage for ransoms in the thick forests and they are also responsible for some of the armed attacks on innocent people around Nkanu land.”
Igwe Christopher Nnamani, the traditional ruler of the community, who confirmed the military operation in the region, told Newsmen that he could not verify the number of victims because he had also evacuated the community.
He claimed that members of his family, including his wife and children, evacuated the town the day before to a safe location, and that many other inhabitants must have done the same.
When Newsmen contacted him on Thursday to inquire about the current situation, he stated that many people had returned to the community.
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“After the incident, people came back except those who don’t want to return now. The security operatives came that time shooting sporadically, went inside the bush and after the air raid, they went back. However, no person has been reported to me to be missing.
“Although some people haven’t returned home, probably they didn’t want to come back now but not because there is any problem again. The soldiers and other security operatives have gone.”
He, however, called on other residents of the community yet to return to come back as “peace has returned”.
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