The Nigerian Army and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have traded accusations over explosives allegedly recovered during a recent military operation in communities in Imo State.
Gatekeepers News reports that while IPOB accused the army of manipulating images released to the public, the military countered by alleging that the separatist group was spreading misinformation and tampering with the metadata of the photographs circulated online.
The Nigerian Army has consequently invited members of the media and Civil Society Organisations to participate in a verification tour of Orsu-Eketutu Mother Valley and Orsu-Ihiteukwa in Imo State.
According to the army, the tour is aimed at countering what it described as “propaganda” by IPOB, which had alleged that photographs released on March 12, 2026, showing recovered Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from the two locations were fabricated and manipulated.
IPOB, in a statement signed by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, rejected the army’s claim and described the images as “fake”.
The group further accused the military of displaying explosive devices allegedly manufactured in other parts of the country, including Lagos, and falsely attributing them to communities in Imo State.
However, the army maintained that the devices shown in the photographs were recovered during ongoing operations.
In a statement issued yesterday by the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 82 Division, Lieutenant Colonel Olabisi Ayeni, the military said the explosives were recovered during the ongoing Operation Eastern Sanity, which is being carried out simultaneously in Imo and Anambra states.
Ayeni explained that the geolocation data on the images was intentionally blurred for operational security reasons and not to mislead the public, as alleged by IPOB supporters on social media.
He said the operation was conducted in the Orsu–Eketutu Mother Valley and Orsu–Ihiteukwa general areas as part of efforts to remove IEDs allegedly planted by criminal elements.
Meanwhile, three years after the Lilu-Eketutu Road in Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State was shut down due to escalating insecurity, troops of the Nigerian Army under Operation Udoka have reopened the road.
Sources indicated that many residents had fled the area or lost their lives following attacks and the occupation of homes and farmlands by suspected hoodlums.
The army said the reopening of the road and clearance operations were intended to facilitate the safe return of residents who had abandoned their homes due to the activities of unknown gunmen and IPOB.
Lieutenant Colonel Ayeni disclosed that the joint operation involved personnel from the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Police Force, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
He added that Operation Udoka has sustained aggressive clearance operations across parts of Imo State and neighbouring areas as part of Operation Eastern Sanity, aimed at dismantling criminal hideouts and restoring normalcy to affected communities.
