Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
ENUGU, Nigeria – Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and troops of the Nigerian Army have successfully dismantled a major plot by the outlawed Eastern Security Network (ESN) to abduct scores of students writing the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in parts of the South-East, recovering a massive cache of weapons, including 11 AK-47 rifles and a rocket launcher.
The coordinated operation, which took place on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, was based on credible intelligence gathered by the DSS. Security sources disclosed that the ESN had planned to launch coordinated attacks targeting three states: Enugu, Anambra and Imo, where hundreds of candidates were sitting for the exam.
According to a statement released by the secret police on Thursday, the plot was carefully designed to cause maximum panic. The suspects intended to wear National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) uniforms during the attacks to disguise their identities and create the false impression that bandits had invaded the region. The DSS added that the terrorists aimed to undermine public confidence in security agencies and project the image that the South-East had become overwhelmed by insecurity.
Acting on the intelligence, the security team raided a suspected ESN armoury in the Agbani axis of Enugu State. The raid led to the recovery of a significant cache of high-calibre arms, including eight AK-47 rifles, 12 AK-47 magazines and 323 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition. Also recovered were a smoke grenade launcher, two teargas canisters, and several items resembling NYSC kits, including 10 trousers, eight T-shirts and four lanyards.
In a separate but related operation earlier on Tuesday, a team comprising DSS operatives and soldiers raided another ESN armoury around the Garki area of Enugu. That operation yielded a rocket launcher, two rocket-propelled grenade warheads, three RPG chargers, and three AK-47 rifles. Additional items recovered during that raid included six AK-47 magazines, two handheld grenades, a teargas gun, a baton, two teargas canisters, 270 rounds of NATO 7.62x39mm ammunition, 478 rounds of 7.62x39mm special ammunition and a bandolier.
Several members of the terrorist organisation were reportedly arrested during the operation. Intelligence sources further revealed that the gang intended to target schools specifically during the WASSCE period, potentially affecting hundreds of candidates. Had the abduction been carried out, it would have marked a major resurgence of school kidnappings in a country where students have repeatedly been targeted by criminal and terrorist groups in recent years.
Security sources told Leadership that the raid was supported by troops of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army. The joint covert operation was launched after intelligence obtained from two ESN field commanders who had been arrested on Monday for allegedly coordinating plans to attack security checkpoints and orchestrate mass kidnappings targeting women, students and children across the region.
The latest breakthrough came barely a week after DSS operatives arrested five suspected arms couriers linked to 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 Nigerien nationals, were apprehended in coordinated operations across Kaduna, Niger and Kebbi states.
Security sources described the recovery of the arms cache as a significant setback for the outlawed group, which has been linked to a series of kidnappings and attacks on security personnel in the Southeast. The DSS confirmed that the coordinated raids had successfully disrupted the planned attacks on selected schools and had prevented what could have been a major escalation of school-targeted violence in the region. Security agencies have since intensified surveillance around schools and public spaces across the South-East to prevent any retaliatory or follow-up attacks.
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