Troops of the newly established 15 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, operating under the Joint Task Force South East, Operation UDO KA, have dismantled three suspected Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network (IPOB/ESN) camps and recovered arms, explosives and other operational equipment in Anambra State.
The operation, conducted in the early hours of Saturday, August 15, 2026, followed credible intelligence on the activities of suspected IPOB/ESN elements operating from camps at Osuakwa, along the boundary between Ihiala and Ogbaru Local Government Areas.
Troops of the 15 Brigade, working alongside personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Agunechemba Vigilante Group, launched a coordinated dawn raid on the identified locations.
The joint force came under hostile fire during the operation but responded decisively, overpowering the suspected terrorists after a fierce exchange of gunfire. Three suspected IPOB/ESN members were neutralised, while the three camps were subsequently overrun and destroyed to prevent their reuse as operational bases.
Items recovered from the camps included an FN rifle with 10 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, a pump-action shotgun with five cartridges, 15 sticks of dynamite, four motorcycles, a gas cylinder, three hybrid batteries, two car batteries and three handheld radio chargers, among other logistics.
Further exploitation of the area also led to the arrest of a suspected IPOB/ESN member identified as Chijioke, alongside a man and a woman suspected of being accomplices. The three suspects were reportedly found in the company of six children.
The Commander of 15 Brigade commended the troops, DSS personnel and members of the Agunechemba Vigilante Group for their courage, discipline and effective inter-agency collaboration.
He described the operation as a significant setback to criminal elements seeking to undermine peace and security in Anambra State and the wider South East.
The Nigerian Army said the newly established brigade would sustain intelligence-led operations in collaboration with other security agencies and relevant local stakeholders to locate, disrupt and dismantle criminal and terrorist networks.
It reaffirmed its commitment to denying criminal elements freedom of action and protecting law-abiding residents across Anambra State and the South East.
