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The Nigerian Army has accused the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its sympathisers of spreading ethnicity-driven propaganda to discredit military operations in the South East.
The Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 82 Division, Olabisi Ayeni, made the disclosure in a statement while reacting to viral claims that recovered images of improvised explosive devices were fake.
Ayeni said the said images showed IEDs recovered during Operation Eastern Sanity conducted simultaneously in Imo and Anambra.
He said that the explosives were recovered from the Orsu-Eketutu Mother Valley and Orsu-Ihiteukwa area of Imo during ongoing operations under Operation UDO KA. Ayeni explained that geo-location details on the images were deliberately blurred for operational security, adding that the measure was not intended to mislead the public.
He said: “The devices in the images were recovered during the ongoing operations in the operational areas, as earlier stated. Unfortunately, IPOB sympathisers manipulated the blurred metadata and circulated altered versions online, falsely suggesting the images originated from Lagos and away states”.
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Ayeni said the propaganda was spread on Hand Facebook by accounts linked to IPOB sympathisers. He added that beyond manipulating metadata, the group had highlighted the ethnic identity of a serving officer rather than addressing the facts surrounding the operation. He further said the focus on ethnicity reflects attempts to sow division, undermine military operations and weaken national cohesion.
“It is not gainsaying that troops have dislodged several camps, hideouts, and IED-making factories belonging to IPOB and its armed wing. The camps were located within the Mother Valley general area spanning Imo and Anambra. Having lost operational assets and capacity to terrorise residents, they have now resorted to propaganda, fake news, and divisive narratives,” he said.
Ayeni said the headquarters of Operation UDO KA had invited media organisations, civil society groups and other stakeholders for a verification tour of the operational areas. He said the inspection would enable independent observers to verify recovery locations and view seized IED-making materials without compromising operational security.
“The Nigerian Army remains a professional, apolitical, and multi-ethnic institution whose personnel serve across the country irrespective of their state of origin”.
