In cooperation with the 63 Brigade and Department of State Services (DSS) agents, Sector 5 Operation UDO KA troops have stopped a truck carrying more than 164,000 live cartridges that were purportedly on its way to the illegal Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate, the Eastern Security Network (ESN)..CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
According to a security update provided by counter-insurgency specialist Zagazola Makama, the interception occurred on May 29, 2025, along the Asaba–Onitsha Expressway, in response to actionable intelligence, as reported in The Nation’s story on Tuesday, June 3. A suspected arms courier, Mr. Emeka Omenife, was apprehended as a result of the operation and turned over right away to the DSS for questioning.
Omenife allegedly admitted to participating in a network that smuggled munitions into Nigeria from Ghana for IPOB/ESN activities during initial interrogation.
On May 30, forces conducted a follow-up operation and captured Uchenna Obiora, an alleged collaborator, at the Onitsha–Awka tollgate based on the intelligence gleaned from his confession.
According to reports, Obiora was detained as he was awaiting the shipment of munitions. The crackdown on the illegal arms trafficking in the area was further tightened when security forces subsequently located and stopped the truck thought to be transporting the concealed weapons.
The report claims that the seizure shows the growing sophistication of smuggling networks in the area and constitutes one of the biggest ammunition hauls in recent operations targeting violence tied to separatists in the Southeast. In order to identify the entire network and stop future attempts to destabilize the area, authorities said investigations are still underway.
