The Nigerian military has apprehended a wanted commander of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), known as “Gentle,” along with eight of his associates in coordinated operations across Imo and Ebonyi states.

Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Magnus Kangye, announced the arrests during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, noting that “Gentle” had been on the military’s wanted list over alleged terrorist activities in the South-East.

He explained that troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation UDO KA, sustained aggressive operations between October 8 and 13, which led to the arrest of the suspects in Owerri West and Mbaitoli Local Government Areas of Imo State, as well as Izzi and Ohaukwu Local Government Areas of Ebonyi State.

According to Kangye, the troops also recovered various weapons, ammunition, and vehicles during the raids.

He further disclosed that on October 13, a female collaborator linked to IPOB’s Eastern Security Network (ESN) was apprehended in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State.

The Defence Headquarters also reported other notable operational successes achieved by the armed forces across different regions of the country in the past two weeks.