DSS, Army foil ESN plot to abduct students during exams in Southeast Nigeria

Security forces in Nigeria have successfully thwarted a plot by the outlawed Eastern Security Network (ESN) to abduct students participating in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the South-East region.

Operatives from the Department of State Services (DSS) and soldiers from the Nigerian Army acted on credible intelligence to raid an ESN armoury in the Agbani axis of Enugu State on Wednesday. The intelligence indicated that ESN members planned to launch attacks on selected schools in Enugu, Anambra, and Imo states, aiming to create the impression of a bandit invasion.

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The raid led to the recovery of a cache of high-calibre arms, including eight AK-47 rifles, 12 AK-47 magazines and 323 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition.

During the raid, security forces recovered a substantial cache of weapons, including eight AK-47 rifles, 12 AK-47 magazines, and 323 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition. Notably, items such as National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) uniforms, including trousers, T-shirts, and lanyards, were also found, suggesting the ESN's intention to disguise themselves as corps members during the planned abductions.

This operation follows an earlier raid on Tuesday in the Garki area of Enugu, where another ESN armoury was discovered and dismantled. Recoveries from that location included a rocket launcher, two rocket-propelled grenade warheads, three RPG chargers, and three AK-47 rifles. The successful disruption of these planned abductions comes amid ongoing concerns about school kidnappings in Nigeria, where students have been repeatedly targeted by criminal and terrorist groups.

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Intelligence further revealed that members of the terrorist organisation were to attack selected schools in the Southeast region to create the impression that bandits had invaded the region.