The Nigerian Army has intensified operation to fish out those who killed six soldiers in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The incident occurred in the aftermath of the End SARS protests.
The perpetrators are suspected to be members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Police operatives also lost their lives, while stations and vehicles were damaged.
Last Monday, Governor Nyseom Wike directed local government chairmen and youths to track IPOB members.
The governor said any council head that allows IPOB to hold processions and hoist its flag within their domain risks sack.
“There is one terrorist group they call IPOB. I did not declare them a terrorist group, the court; the federal government declared them a terrorist group. IPOB cannot use Rivers State to be a place where they will be launching attacks. If you allow that, your future, your children’s future is gone.
“Go to Oyigbo and see what they have done. They destroyed the court. What did the court do? See the soldiers they killed and burnt them. See the policemen they killed and burnt them and then you said people will sit and fold their arms?”
Wike then imposed a curfew and asked security forces to maintain peace and order.
The state government also approved troops’ deployment to look for bodies of the soldiers and their looted weapons.
A military intelligence source told PRNigeria that the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, instigated the attacks on troops and other security operatives.
The officer cited Kanu’s viral audio clip during the End SARS protest.
He said: “We have all the audio and video clips where the leader of the proscribed terrorist organization lPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, actively coordinated the attacks against our troops, other security personnel and innocent citizens. He was even mentioning names, identities and locations to be attacked by the followers.
“In one of the audio, Kanu called on his members to ambush and kill some politicians, soldiers, policemen and destroy properties belonging to the government and top politicians.
“You can hear his voice saying “Go and look for weapons and arm yourselves…build weapons, if you don’t have any gun construct one, even ordinary catapult build one, go and use it and destroy them. Anywhere you see Sanwo-Olu you attack him, Tinubu, his hotel must be burned down. We can tolerate this!”
Kanu has dissociated himself from the attacks. He claimed government agents twisted his comments.
