Military raid IPOB/ESN base, rescue hostages, apprehend gunrunner

The Nigerian Army recently conducted a series of successful operations against armed insurgent groups, dismantling hideouts and apprehending key criminal elements in South Eastern Nigeria and Plateau State.

In a major raid on an Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Eastern Security Network (ESN) base in Enugwu Umuonyia, Anambra State, troops engaged in a heated firefight.

Overpowered, the militants fled, abandoning a large cache of arms and logistical supplies. The Army seized 78 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 13 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 20 live cartridges, a pump-action gun, a locally fabricated pistol, an AK-56 magazine, and six vehicles.

“These decisive actions underscore the Nigerian Army’s resolve to eradicate all threats to national security,” stated the Army’s official report.

On 9 October 2024, in Plateau State, troops intercepted a known gunrunner, Mathew Caleb, during a precision stop-and-search operation on the Mangar-Bokkos road.

Caleb, 35, was found with a fabricated revolver rifle, a pistol, 23 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, and two rounds of 9mm ammunition.

The Army’s report noted, “The suspect was en route to Bokkos town to deliver the deadly weapons to buyers when troops thwarted his mission.”

The operation also captured two armed motorcycle thieves and a robber in Bokkos Local Government Area, further neutralising local criminal threats.

The Nigerian Army confirmed a separate, crucial victory against Boko Haram forces in Borno State, where 15 insurgents, along with their families, surrendered to troops in Gwoza and Bama.