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DSS-led joint operation crushes ESN strongholds, kills top kingpins in Imo
DSS-led joint operation crushes ESN strongholds, kills top kingpins in Imo
By: Zagazola Makama
A wave of coordinated security offensives in Imo State has barbecued the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the militant wing of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), with the killing of key kingpins and the dislodgement of notorious terrorist camps in forested parts of Njaba and Isu Local Government Areas.
Zagazola Makama understand that The offensive, which began on June 29, was spearheaded by the Department of State Services (DSS) in close collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, special forces, and local tactical units.
It was launched after the arrest and detailed confessions of two ESN commanders Uchenna Opara, popularly known as Ntanta Miri, and Ozioma Ihedoro, a.k.a OZ, both natives of Umuaka community in Njaba LGA.
Acting on actionable intelligence, the joint team raided and obliterated several terrorist enclaves, including Umuele Umuaka, Ezioha, and Ugbele Umuaka, known safe havens of the separatist group.
A fierce gun battle ensued as operatives stormed the camps. Three ESN fighters were neutralised during the confrontation, while others reportedly escaped with bullet wounds. Their bodies were later recovered along the Ugbele Umuaka axis.
What followed was a methodical clearance operation targeting the B44 camp cluster, long considered one of ESN’s strategic base networks. The camps, codenamed B44 Tangle 2, 4, 5, 7, and 9, were all successfully dislodged by the joint force.
A caterpillar operator working with the team was tragically killed in the line of duty when the group came under sudden fire while approaching the B44 main camp. He was rushed to the Federal University Teaching Hospital (FUTH), Owerri, but later confirmed dead by a medical officer on duty.
Items recovered from the operation included:
One AK-47 rifle, 15 rounds of live ammunition, pump-action shotgun, two locally made IEDs, one human skull and a Biafran flag
In addition, two suspected ESN members were arrested during the combing of nearby bush paths. The duo Emeka Ogene Sabinus of Ezi Isu in Isu LGA and Nnabuike Emmanuel of Ohofia Oduma in Aninri LGA, Enugu State were said to bear tribal incisions associated with the proscribed militia.
The collapse of the B44 cluster was significant in the counterinsurgency drive in the South-East, where pockets of armed resistance have posed growing threats to residents, security personnel, and national assets.
“The terrain is difficult, but our operatives are relentless,” a senior official close to the operation said. “We are targeting leadership figures, supply chains, and safe havens.”
Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to apprehend fleeing fighters, with mop-up operations continuing in adjoining forest belts across Orlu, Njaba, and Isu corridors.
The Imo offensive adds to a growing list of successes by joint intelligence-led operations aimed at stabilising regions grappling with armed separatist violence, kidnappings, and the weaponisation of local grievances.
DSS-led joint operation crushes ESN strongholds, kills top kingpins in Imo
Ambassador Mamman hails Buratai’s legacy, urges youth mentorship
By: Zagazola Makama
Ambassador Yusuf Mamman, former Nigerian envoy, has lauded the leadership and reforms of retired Lt.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, former Chief of Army Staff, describing him as a “soldier’s soldier” whose tenure transformed the Nigerian Army’s doctrine, structure, and innovation.
Mamman, who chaired the public presentation of the book Life Principles for Greatness from the Life of Lt.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, said he accepted the role without hesitation because the work offered lessons for Nigeria’s youth.
He recalled that Buratai rose from a cadet in the Nigerian Defence Academy to become Chief of Army Staff at a time the country faced the existential threat of Boko Haram insurgency.
“He came at a very challenging and difficult time in our national history, when Boko Haram posed the biggest existential threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity since the civil war,” Mamman said.
According to him, Buratai spearheaded deep and profound changes that reshaped military doctrine, operations, and troop welfare, laying the foundation for the ongoing modernisation of the Nigerian Army.
“He never sought to take credit, but his works were very evident and clear. The master plan for the Army’s modernisation we are following today was driven by his vision,” he added.
Mamman also linked Buratai’s example to the need for youth empowerment, noting that Nigeria’s young people are making significant contributions in technology, media, and the creative industry.
“We must give them the enabling environment to harness their creativity for national greatness. Our future relies on the resilience, creativity, and scholarship of our youth,” he said.
The event, held in Abuja Intercontinental Hotel attracted dignitaries including Senior Military Officers, both serving and retired, Sen. Abdulaziz Yar’adua, Chairman Senate Committee on Army, and other prominent Nigerians.
Ambassador Mamman hails Buratai’s legacy, urges youth mentorship
Kachalla Alti kills rival bandit kingpin, Dankarami Usaini in Zamfara community
By: Zagazola Makama
A feared bandit kingpin, Kachalla Alti, has killed a fellow gang leader in Matsuki village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, in what residents described as a deadly supremacy battle.
Zagazola gathered from sources that the incident, which occurred at about 4:45 p.m. on Monday, has left the community tense and largely deserted.
Witnesses said the slain bandit, identified as Dankarami Usaini, 40, a Hausa native of Matsuki, had long operated from the Dangajeru forest, allegedly extorting residents and attacking those who resisted.
According to locals, Dankarami was in the village to collect levies on behalf of Kachalla Alti, the younger brother of notorious armed gang leader, Adamu Alero.
However, discontent had been brewing among residents over the “excessive harassment” by Dankarami. They reportedly reached out to Kachalla Alti to intervene. Kachalla Alti stormed the village with his men and shot Dankarami dead on the spot.
Following the killing, many residents fled to nearby villages, fearing retaliatory attacks from Dankarami’s loyalists.
Local sources said tension remains high, with sporadic gunfire heard in nearby forest routes.
Kachalla Alti kills rival bandit kingpin, Dankarami Usaini in Zamfara community
Police, hunters search for kidnapped septuagenarian in Gombe
By: Zagazola Makama
Police in Gombe State, in collaboration with local hunters, have launched a search for a 60-year-old man abducted by gunmen in Funakaye Local Government Area.
Sources said the incident occurred on Tuesday at about 12:30 a.m., when about seven armed men stormed the Ganti area of Abuku village via Ribadu Bajoga and kidnapped one Muhammadu Lawal to an unknown location.
Upon receiving the report from the village head of Bage, a joint team of police operatives and hunters mobilised to comb nearby communities in an effort to rescue the victim unhurt.
The sources said no arrests had been made as of the time of filing this report.
Police, hunters search for kidnapped septuagenarian in Gombe
AND WE WILL WIN!
Ambassador Mamman hails Buratai’s legacy, urges youth mentorship
Kachalla Alti kills rival bandit kingpin, Dankarami Usaini in Zamfara community
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