By Olaitan Ibrahim
A suspected terrorist was reportedly killed on Friday in a gun battle between troops of the Nigerian Army and members of the Eastern Security Network.
The troops had gone to raid the ESN camp in the Ebubengwa/Abayi Nchokoro area of Ugwunagbo Local Government Area of Abia State.
During the raid, the militants reportedly fled under heavy fire, leaving trails of blood behind.
In a situation report from the 144 Battalion (Rear) on Saturday, the Army confirmed that one suspect was killed while an officer and a soldier sustained injuries.
The troops recovered a significant cache of arms, ammunition, and large sums of cash during the raid on the suspected terrorists’ camp on Friday.
According to the report, the troops recovered weapons, including one rocket-propelled grenade, one general purpose machine gun, four AK-47 rifles, one G3 rifle, three pump-action shotguns, 800 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, and 648 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition.
The military also seized N11.75m and $27,000 in cash, along with other logistics and communication equipment.
According to the Army, items recovered also include two generators, laptops, CCTV systems, mobile phones, a Wi-Fi router, and external hard drives. Several ritual garments and food supplies were also found.
The Army added that vehicles and motorcycles recovered or destroyed during the operation included one Honda Pilot SUV, two Toyota Highlander SUVs, one Toyota Hiace bus, one minibus, one tricycle, and two motorcycles.