Troops of the Nigerian Army in Imo State have arrested a deserted soldier, Lance Corporal Nwagwu Chiwendu, who is the second-in-command of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the state.
He was arrested at the burial of his father by troops in the state.
Military sources said the deserted soldier confessed to killing of the northern politician Ahmed Gulak and attacks on military and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) offices in the state.
Gulak was killed on May 30, 2021, in Owerri, Imo State, on his way to the airport.
A military signal accessed by LEADERSHIP showed that Chiwendu (13NA/70/9974) deserted the Nigerian Army and joined the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the armed wing of IPOB.
He was of the Corps of Nigeria Army Engineering and became IPOB trainer on weapon handling.
“Sir, this soldier deserted the Nigerian Army and joined ESN on January 21. He was their main trainer on weapon handling and rose to be the second to Temple who is now the leader of the group in Imo State,” the signal indicated.
According to sources, the deserted soldier served on “Operation Hadin Kai” (OPHK) and “thus have operational experience. He was arrested yesterday during the burial of his father at Mbaise.
“He confessed to killing Gulak and confirmed that his camp is responsible for kidnapping two expatriates along Owerri-Okigwe Road and the killing of two police inspectors escorting them. They are the ones that also killed our soldier in the same location and the burning of our Hilux van last week. They equally participated in the attack on the INEC office in Owerri. He is currently with the police,” one of the sources said.
