The Nigerian Army has accused the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and the Eastern Security Network, ESN, of using fake pictures of soldiers to promote insecurity in the country.

Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, the spokesman of the Nigerian Army, said IPOB used photographs of fake soldiers arrested in Lagos State to push propaganda and encourage insecurity in Nigeria.

Nwachukwu described the photographs by one Solomon Okafor of Radio Biafra as false and malicious disinformation.

He noted that the fake soldiers in the photographs were arrested by troops during Operation CHECKMATE in April 2022.

The Army spokesman said the operation that led to the arrest of the fake soldiers was widely published in both the new and traditional media before handing over the suspects to the Nigeria Police.

In a statement he issued, Nwachukwu said the photographs were attempts to malign the Nigerian Army.

He said: “The Nigerian Army has been notified of malicious disinformation and falsehood peddled by one Solomon Okafor of Radio Biafra London, making the rounds in the social media. The meme alleged complicity by troops in a fictitious case of the kidnapping of a family of 10 in Kaduna State, Nigeria. He also maliciously alleged that about 87 percent of NA soldiers are kidnappers and bandits.

“It must, therefore, be clarified that the said report is a creation of IPOB/ESN social media foot soldiers, with intent to malign the NA. The picture bandied around on the social media is a picture of fake soldiers (impostors) who were arrested in Lagos – Ondo states axis by troops of Operation CHECKMATE under 81 Division NA, sometime in April 2022.

“Members of the public are, therefore, urged to disregard this mindless and irresponsible propaganda clearly emanating from IPOB, aimed at promoting insecurity in the country.”

Severally, IPOB had been linked to insecurity in the South-East.

However, the separatist group had continued to deny involvement in the insecurity challenges in the region.