By: Odeh Favour Adiya
Operatives of the Department of State Services and troops of the Nigerian Army have successfully foiled a major attempt by members of the outlawed Eastern Security Network (ESN) to kidnap scores of students writing the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination in some South-East states.
The targeted schools for the mass abductions were located across Enugu, Anambra, and Imo states.
According to a statement released on Thursday by the DSS, the secret police operatives and soldiers acted swiftly on credible intelligence, leading to a strategic raid on an ESN armoury in the Agbani axis of Enugu State.
The statement added that intelligence further revealed that the ESN members planned to launch the coordinated attacks while wearing National Youth Service Corps uniforms to disguise their identities.
The high-stakes raid led to the recovery of a cache of high-calibre arms, including eight AK-47 rifles, 12 AK-47 magazines, and 323 rounds of special ammunition. Also recovered from the Agbani operation were one smoke grenade launcher, two teargas canisters, 10 NYSC trousers, eight NYSC T-shirts, and four NYSC lanyards.
“Intelligence further revealed that members of the terrorist organisation were to attack selected schools in the Southeast region to create the impression that bandits had invaded the region,” the statement revealed.
Several members of the organisation were reportedly arrested during the clampdown. Earlier on Tuesday, a team comprising DSS operatives and soldiers had also raided another ESN armoury around the Garki area of Enugu, yielding even more dangerous weapons.
It added that a rocket launcher, two rocket-propelled grenade warheads, three RPG chargers, and three AK-47 rifles were among the arms recovered by the security team during the Tuesday operation.
“Also recovered by the team were six AK-47 magazines, two handheld grenades, one teargas gun, a baton, two teargas canisters, 270 rounds of ammunition, 478 rounds of special ammunition, a bandolier and a baton,” the secret police stated.
These major recoveries came barely a week after DSS operatives arrested five suspected arms couriers linked to gunmen who previously abducted students and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri Village, Niger State, on November 21, 2025.
