The Department of State Services (DSS), with support from troops of the Nigerian Army's 82 Division, has foiled an alleged plot by members of the outlawed Eastern Security Network (ESN) to attack security checkpoints and carry out mass kidnappings across states in the Southeast. A security source disclosed that acting on intelligence gathered by the DSS, two ESN field commanders who were coordinating the planned attacks were arrested on Monday in Garki, Enugu State.
According to the source, information obtained from the suspects prompted the DSS to seek operational support from troops of the 82 Division. This led to a covert operation that culminated in raids on an ESN armoury located in the Agbani area of Enugu State on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The operation resulted in the recovery of a large cache of weapons and ammunition, including a rocket launcher, two rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) warheads, three RPG chargers, and 11 AK-47 rifles.
Security operatives also recovered 18 AK-47 magazines, 1,071 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, two handheld grenades, a tear gas gun, a baton, and two tear gas canisters.
Additional items recovered during the raids included a smoke grenade launcher, two tear gas canisters, 10 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) trousers, eight NYSC T-shirts, and four NYSC lanyards. Intelligence reports indicated that the ESN operatives planned to use the NYSC uniforms as a disguise while carrying out the attacks.
Another security source revealed that intelligence extracted from the arrested commanders indicated that the group had planned coordinated attacks across the Southeast, targeting security formations while kidnapping women, students, and children. The objective, according to the source, was to spread fear and create the impression that the region had been overwhelmed by insecurity.
The discovery in Enugu comes barely a week after DSS operatives arrested five suspected arms couriers linked to the gunmen responsible for the abduction of students and staff of St Mary's Catholic School in Papiri Village, Niger State, on November 21, 2025.
The suspects, including two citizens of Niger Republic, were apprehended during coordinated operations in Kaduna, Niger, and Kebbi states. Recovered from them were 15 AK-103 rifles, 15 magazines, and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition.
According to security sources, the outlawed group has been linked to a series of kidnappings and attacks on security personnel across the Southeast.
The latest raids on the ESN armoury in Enugu State occurred shortly after the DSS arrested several suspected members of the group in the state as part of ongoing efforts to dismantle its operational network.