DHQ: IPOB, Yoruba Nation posed major threats in southeast, southwest in 2023

During a briefing in Abuja, Major General Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operation, revealed that the spread of small arms and the influx of illegal arms and ammunition through Nigeria’s porous borders were the main causes of security threats in the country. DHQ stated that in 2023, Yoruba Nation agitators posed a threat in the southwest and the Indigenous People of Biafra, or IPOB, posed a major threat in the southeast.

According to Buba: “The major threat in the South-East (SE) and South-West (SW) was the secessionist agitations of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Yoruba Nation respectively.

“The South-South (SS) region continued to experience oil theft, cultism and youth restiveness. However, acts of criminalities such as kidnapping, armed robbery, communal clashes and cattle rustling were common across the 6 geopolitical zones.

“It is pertinent to point out that most security threats in the country were fuelled by the proliferation of small arms exacerbated by the influx of illegal arms and ammunition through our porous borders and the preponderance of local arms fabrication factories in the country.”