Soldiers among 11 killed by separatist militants in southeast Nigeria

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The Nigerian military says militants enforcing a separatist lockdown in the country’s southeast attacked and killed five soldiers deployed to restore order. A military spokesman said six civilians were also killed by the militants during a shootout in Abia state’s Aba town. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) separatist group often uses lockdowns to push for the creation of an independent country in the southeast. The separatist campaign was first launched more than 50 years ago but failed after a civil war in which at least one million people were killed. The lockdowns are often deadly and continue to worsen security in the southeast region.