Nigerian Army, Police Kill 16 IPOB's Eastern Security Network Operatives In Abia

A joint operation of the Nigerian Army and police has led to the death of about 16 operatives of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), a military source told SaharaReporters on Wednesday.

The source said hundreds of security operatives on Tuesday night launched a heavy attack on the camp of ESN in Aba, Abia state, killing about 16 of them and injuring others.

SaharaReporters gathered that the operation was in response to a series of attacks against security personnel in the South-East.

Not less than 20 security operatives have been killed in the region by unknown gunmen in the last three months.

Police stations are also not left out in the assault as three of them have been razed in 2021.

Three policemen were killed in a fresh attack in Ohafia LGA of Abia state on Monday.

The officers were killed while on a ‘stop and search’ operation in Abiriba town.

The gunmen were said to have ambushed them and carted away their rifles not long after they arrived in the town for a routine operation.

The slain police officers were identified as Austin Ugwu, Longinus Ugochukwu, and Ama Ifeanyi.

IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, had in December 2020 launched ESN to protect the people of South-East and South-South regions from terrorists and bandits allegedly trooping in from the North.

Kanu described the outfit as a replica of the Western Nigeria Security Network, also known as Amotekun, earlier launched by the governors of the South-West to curb insecurity in the region.

“The sole aim and objective of this newly formed security outfit known as Eastern Security Network is to halt every criminal activity and terrorist attack on Biafraland,” Kanu had said.

“This outfit, which is a vigilante group like the Amotekun in the South-West and the Miyetti Allah security outfit, will ensure the safety of our forests and farmland which terrorists have converted into slaughter grounds and raping fields.”

He added that the establishment of the security outfit became necessary following what he described as the “failure” of the governors of the South-South and South-East to put in place measures to protect the people in those regions.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Nigerian Army had deployed combat helicopters, gun trucks, and soldiers to search some forests in the South-East states where the ESN was suspected to be camping.

Recently, it was learnt that some Nigerian soldiers resigned and joined the ESN, on the grounds that the ESN, being funded by both international and local donors, had better welfare packages for its officers than the military.

“The Kanu ESN boys are not a bunch of rookies and untrained fellows brandishing guns. I personally know five guys from my hometown in Anambra State who left the Nigerian Army to join the ESN. Two of them were formerly serving in Operation Lafiya Dole, Borno State, before they quit.

“We are being reliably informed that there are other soldiers, particularly of the South-East extraction, who will soon leave for other various reasons and they are likely to be recruited into the fold,” a military source told SaharaReporters.

NgeneUkwenu:
Flush them out!

Coconuthead126:
The useless link to your site doesn't even work, awon fake news Brigade

gidgiddy:


What you are seeing might just be the extra-judicial killing of unarmed civilians as the Nigerian Army cannot possibly know who is ESN, especially at night

afroniger:
Nnamdi Kanu needs to restratefize. Too many Igbo youths getting wasted over his methods.

NgeneUkwenu:


Nobody expected you to believe the news...The fact is that ESN is being dealt with now..

kettykin:
i hope this is not the beginning of ESN 2.0 , the killing does not stop the campaign but brings out a more advanced group with faster and better capabilities , only God Knows when all this will stop.


If Killing stops this type of campaign , Boko haram would ave been history

Juliusmalema:



They allowed themselves to be wasted.

So let them journey to the great beyond.

There are also many on the queue waiting to be wasted and my condolences to their families in advance.

kufre2010:


If to hate killer bandits (ESN) is to hate Igbos then to hell with all Igbos. God punish you this foolish man

NgeneUkwenu:


ESN have been carrying extra Judicial killing of Security agencies in the South East, and you have been celebrating them, calling them unknown Gunmen!

The die is now cast ..

NgeneUkwenu:


Don't worry about that, that's why we have the military...they have signed to die in defence of Nigeria...

afroniger:


It's just too sad. He can't even supply them with weapons so they're having to attack, burn and ransack police stations just to access weapons to do his bidding. He should change his strategy. Too many Igbo youths blood on his hands.

NgeneUkwenu:
Just in:- The Nigeria military in conjunction with Police under the unit of RRS & CTU gave a fatal blow to the ESN camp under the IPOB in Aba, yesterday night about 16 ESN were killed in the joint Ops. This was a response to series of attacks against security personnels in SE https:///ew8W6RNWd0

Killing innocent harmless youths going by their businesses then call them ESN

We no dey see this kind raid for Bokoharam, Bandits, Fulani herdsmen camp And you say these terrorists are not Buhari's boys