Army dismisses IPOB’s ‘fake IED’ claims, opens Imo sites for inspection
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Nigerian Army’s 82 Division has dismissed viral social media claims by Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) sympathisers that images of recovered Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from Imo State were “fake and manipulated,” inviting media organisations and civil society groups for an on-site verification tour.
In a statement issued Sunday by Lieutenant Colonel Olabisi Olalekan Ayeni, Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations for 82 Division, the army addressed allegations surrounding photos released on March 12, 2026, during Operation Eastern Sanity in Imo and Anambra states.
The images, showing IEDs from Orsu-Eketutu Mother Valley and Orsu-Ihiteukwa in Imo State, had their geolocation blurred “for operational security reasons and not for any ulterior motives,” Ayeni clarified.
The army accused IPOB and its armed wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN), of manipulating the images’ metadata to falsely link them to Lagos and Oyo states.
“IPOB’s teams of Fake News merchants led on X (Twitter) by Harry Da Diegot @trigottista and on Facebook by @Adaigboglobal have manipulated the meta data of the images released (with blurred meta data) along with the press release on 12 March 2026 imposing another geo-location reading Lagos and Oyo states,” the statement read.
It further condemned IPOB for “emphasising ethnicity, rather than facts,” calling it “the very foundation of divisive narratives being propagated by IPOB/ESN to undermine peace and stability in the SouthEast and national cohesion.”
Troops have “completely dislodged many camps, hideouts and IED making factories belonging to IPOB and its armed wing” in the Mother Valley area, rendering the group “a dying ember that still smolders,” the statement asserted, prompting desperate propaganda efforts.
To counter the claims, Headquarters Operation Udo Ka (OPUK) extended an open invitation, “HQ OPUK invites media executives, media correspondents, civil society groups and individuals who are genuinely concerned about the authenticity of these recoveries… to please, kindly come forward for verification.”
Interested parties can contact 82 Division Army Public Relations for tour arrangements, with original, blurred, and manipulated images attached for comparison.
The army reiterated its commitment to professionalism, “The Nigerian Army is, and remains apolitical, professional and multi-ethnic institution,” urging Nigerians to “verify information from official channels before amplifying claims” and prioritise “national unity over ethnic point-scoring.”
