TheCable

Soldiers of the Nigerian army have reportedly surrounded the country home of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in Umuahia, Abia state.

The presence of troops in Kanu’s hometown is the second of such in three days as they had earlier clashed with his supporters on Sunday.

The soldiers were said to have arrived on Tuesday in armoured carrier vehicles and Hilux vans.

Some of the soldiers also stormed the state’s chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), also in Umuahia.

Items worth thousands of naira, including laptops, were said to have been destroyed at the secretariat.

The soldiers reportedly claimed they had seen someone taking pictures of them from the NUJ building.

John Emejor, the NUJ chairman in the state, confirmed the incident to journalists. He said one of the union’s officers – Ezeogo Bonny Okoro – was slapped by a soldier.

“Our press centre was invaded by soldiers, two journalists lost their IPads and phones, while a national leader in the office was attacked,” he said.

“Our stand is that those involved in this attack on innocent journalists should be fished out and punished in line with the constitution of the country.”

Sani Usman, army spokesman, could not confirm the invasion when contacted. He told TheCable that he was unaware of the incident.

Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, recently ordered the deployment of troops in the south-east to quell “violent” secession agitations in the region.