Police Launch ‘Operation Restore Peace’ In South-East Over IPOB, ESN Uprising

The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, on Tuesday launched a new special operational action plan code-named, Operation Restore Peace, to quell the Indigenous People of Biafra and its militant arm, Eastern Security Network, over the uprising in the region.

The police said in a release that the IGP launched the special operation at the Michael Okpara Square, Enugu as part of efforts targeted at returning “the South-Eastern region to its historical pride of place where its people are known to be peaceful, tolerant, innovative, industrious and entrepreneurial.”

The Force Public Relations Officer, CP Frank Mba, said, “The IGP noted that the special operation has become necessary to engender all-inclusive security actions to roll-back the murderous attacks, violence, proliferation of weapons and other threats to law and order occasioned by the separatist agenda being heightened by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN) in the South-East region.

“The IGP observed that activities of the group in the region have assumed an armed dimension in which important political and community leaders as well as personnel and assets of the Nigeria police, military and other security agencies, critical national infrastructure are being constantly targeted in clearly well-coordinated, premeditated manners. This is in addition to deepening inter-ethnic prejudice and intolerance, unjustifiable inter-ethnic violence and counter-violence, loss of lives and massive destruction of properties.

“The IGP, while appreciating the individual and collective efforts of all the South-East governors and other critical stakeholders in the region towards supporting the police in restoring security and strengthening national unity, assured the nation, that in the coming days the special operation will be extended to other parts of the South-East region to confront criminal elements, take the battle to their doorsteps and re-order our cherished national values in the region.

“The IGP further noted that the ‘Operation RP’ will be replicated in other parts of the country, to address peculiar crimes including banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, amongst others.

“The ‘Operation’ will be carried out by operatives of the Force in collaboration with the Armed Forces, the intelligence community and other sister security agencies. The personnel deployed have been charged to be civil with the law-abiding citizens, but firm and ruthless with criminal elements operating under any guise whatsoever who may attempt to test the collective will of the people.”

This is coming days after SaharaReporters exclusively reported on Saturday that the Nigerian Army also began a seven-day show of force through its 82 Division in Enugu State to quell the IPOB and ESN uprising in the region.