Reported By Mary Udezue | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested a senior suspected militant leader and an alleged affiliate of a proscribed secessionist movement in Enugu State for their alleged roles in a string of violent attacks on police facilities, killings of security personnel and other fatal incidents that have plagued parts of the South-East. The arrests occurred on Friday, March 6, 2026, in coordinated operations carried out in Eha-Amufu and Umuhu communities within Isi-Uzo Local Government Area after months of targeted intelligence gathering and surveillance by the security service.
The DSS identified the first suspect as Sabastine Odo Odam, a man described by officials as a notorious commander of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) — an armed affiliate widely linked to the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The second man was named as Ejike Daniel, who investigators believe is a member of IPOB itself and part of the logistical network that coordinated or supported violent operations attributed to the groups.
According to security sources, the suspects were taken into custody following an extended counter-extremism effort that involved sustained surveillance of their activities and movements. Investigators allege that Odam and Daniel were central figures in several coordinated attacks that targeted police stations and law enforcement personnel across the region between 2024 and 2026.
The DSS sources further asserted that during interrogation the suspects “confessed to being masterminds of a chain of attacks on police stations and carting away of weapons.” These incidents are said to include the February 26 killing of 11 labourers, believed to have been tied to an ambush by armed assailants, as well as several fatal assaults on police officers and other security personnel. Among the attacks referenced by investigators were the killing of five police officers between December 24, 2025 and January 26, 2026 and earlier violent incidents in 2024.
The pattern of attacks attributed to the suspects and their network has heightened insecurity in several rural and semi-urban communities across Enugu, where police outposts have been repeatedly targeted, weapons have been stolen and residents have been displaced during successive clashes. These events have drawn significant attention from both state and federal security agencies, prompting stepped-up intelligence operations in the affected local government areas.
The arrests have been described by security officials as a major development in the ongoing efforts to curb violent crime and militia-linked attacks in the South-East and wider country. Officials said that dismantling key leadership figures and operational cells within outlawed militant organisations remains a priority for the DSS as part of broader counter-extremism strategies that also involve cooperation with the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army and other security partners.
Residents of Eha-Amufu and surrounding communities welcomed the news of the arrests, with many expressing cautious optimism that the detentions could lead to a reduction in violent incidents that have disrupted daily life and inflicted trauma on families and local businesses. Community leaders said they hoped that the arrests would restore a measure of peace and encourage displaced families to return to their homes.
Both suspects remain in DSS custody as investigators continue to gather evidence and prepare the case for prosecution. Officials said that the suspects would be formally arraigned in court once the preliminary investigation and charge preparation are completed.
The broader security challenge in Nigeria’s South-East has been shaped by decades of complex dynamics involving separatist movements, periodic outbreaks of violence and tensions between militant actors and state security forces. The ESN, widely viewed by the Nigerian government as a militant offshoot of IPOB, has been involved in a series of violent encounters with security operatives and rival non-state actors in recent years, complicating efforts to stabilise the region.
The arrests of Odam and Daniel underline ongoing efforts by the DSS and other agencies to disrupt militant leadership and operational planning, while authorities have reiterated calls on citizens to provide credible information that could assist security operations. As the case progresses through the judicial system, it is expected to draw further attention to the intricate security environment in the South-East and the continuing efforts by Nigerian institutions to counter violent extremism and organised crime.
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