Some other residents in Orlu said they now lived in fear of the unknown since the military began patrolling the community.
Some residents of the troubled Orlu communities in Imo State have expressed worries that soldiers of the Nigerian Army are carrying out indiscriminate arrests of residents and people going about their business in their areas.
SaharaReporters learnt that some persons were arrested on the suspicion that they belonged to the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra while others were arrested for having links to the Eastern Security Network.
“The military is arresting clerics and invading church premises. They claimed that the pastors were shielding IPOB members and also energising the ESN operatives. The army is carrying out the arrests in conjunction with the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team,” a source said.
“It is true that their military jets hovered over our areas. They released fire into the bushes around my father’s farm and thank God, none of his co-workers were on the site. But we saw the traces of fire. Now they are arresting innocent residents. The police and the army personnel are entering houses and churches and arresting people,” another resident said.
Some other residents in Orlu said they now lived in fear of the unknown since the military began patrolling the community.
SaharaReporters had earlier a clash between the Nigerian Army and members of the ESN, following an offensive by the military to flush out members of the ESN from their places suspected to be their camps in Orlu, Imo State.
A resident said, “Yes, we saw helicopters and we were scared because we remembered what happened during the last incident so people basically stayed indoors but since we saw that they weren't shooting at civilians, we continued our business activities. The markets are still open and we are living our normal lives though there's that fear at the back of our minds that anything can happen.”
Another young man who spoke with SaharaReporters confirmed that helicopters were seen hovering over the area, saying he believed the soldiers were actively looking for members of the Eastern Security Network.
“They are still looking for the members of the ESN. We know they don't have any business with us but they cannot be predicted,” he said.