An elated executive chairman of Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Barrister Sunday Nwankwo has said that ongoing Nigerian military’s peace-building efforts in Ebonyi State, its environs and entire South East region are yielding huge dividends.
He told a team of Defence journalists currently on a fact-finding Media Tour of the South East that his people enjoyed the just-concluded Christmas and other December festivities because the military’s operations have significantly deterred threats to the peace of the region.
He stated this while responding to enquiries by the media team about the real impact of the military presence, noting that the area had remained peaceful, especially during the festive period.
“We enjoyed the festive period. It was peaceful. There was no intimidation, there was no criminal attack. There were no kidnappings within the festive period, people who returned stayed and enjoyed themselves and travelled back freely.
(Team Leader, Op UDO KA South East, Major Ayo Omojokun (R) presenting a souvenir to Executive Chairman, Ikwo LGA, Barr. Sunday Nwankwo, at the event in Abakaliki, Ebony State)
I use this opportunity to thank the Nigerian military for the intervention and their professional conduct within that process”, he said.
Barr. Nwankwo also disclosed that the huge gains created by the military operations had motivated residents and several communities to cooperate with security authorities against security threats, appealing to residents to continue cooperating with security agencies by sharing information, stressing that community involvement was critical to maintaining security.
The team of Defence Correspondents from the DefenceMedia Operations of the Defence Headquarters has toured parts of Enugu, Imo and Ebonyi States to assess the security situation under Operation UDO KA, as troops of the Nigerian Army continue to conduct clearance operations in the forested areas and other parts of the Zone.
The visit, which formed part of the Defence Media Tour in the South East, took journalists to other environs such as Ezeagu Local Government Area, where troops are conducting an ongoing operation targeting suspected criminal hideouts in the AjaliForest.
Briefing journalists during the visit, the Commanding Officer, 103 Battalion (Rear), Major MuhammedAbdulrahman, said Ezeagu was one of the 17 local government areas under Sector 1 of Operation UDO KA, which covers the entire Enugu State.
“Ezeagu LGA is one among the LGAs of Enugu state covered by Sector 1 OP UDOKA (Sector 1 Area of Responsibility covers the entire Enugu State). In recent time, the local government have been faced with security threats such as Indigenous People of Biafra/ESN criminal activities, kidnapping and herder–farmer clashes among others.”
According to him, intelligence reports on alleged IPOB and ESN activities in the Ajali Forest prompted the launch of the operation. He described the forest as a vast area linking Enugu and Anambra states, which, he said, criminals had used as a safe haven.
“These threats prompted the conduct of offensive operations due to the intelligence gathered about IPOB activities at Ajali forest”, he said, adding that while the clearance operation began on 30 December 2025 and was still ongoing
gallant troops had advanced through the forest, clearing and destroying identified camps.
According to him, “a total of 8 camps were cleared and destroyed,” while troops continued to dominate the general area to deny armed groups freedom of action.
The Commanding Officer also listed items recovered during the operation as including ammunition, motorcycles and materials used for making improvised explosive devices.
It was observed that bulldozers and chainsaws were being used to open up dense forest areas to prevent their reuse as hideouts, remarking that despite the operation, the general security situation within the sector was calm but unpredictable.
“The general security situation within the sector AOR has been relatively calm but highly unpredictable,” he said, adding that patrols, raids and clearance operations had continued across all 17 local government areas.
The Media tour, being facilitaed by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede is to enable the Defence Correspondents have first-hand information about the military operations in the various theatres of war across the country. They locations of tour are Operation HADIN KAI in North East, Operation FANSAN YAMMA in North West, Operation DELTA SAFE in South South, Operation UDO KA in South East, and Operation WHIRL STROKE in North Central.
