Ammunition-laden truck suspected to be for ESN and IPOB intercepted in Anambra by joint Security operations

Troops of Sector 5 of Operation UDO KA, in collaboration with the 63 Brigade and the Department of State Services (DSS), intercepted a truck carrying over 164,000 live cartridges on May 29, 2025, along the Asaba–Onitsha expressway in Anambra State.

The ammunition was concealed in four compartments within the truck’s cargo bed and is suspected to have been smuggled from Ghana, intended for the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

The operation led to the arrest of Emeka Omenife, a suspected arms courier linked to a transnational smuggling syndicate supplying ammunition to IPOB/ESN.

Omenife had previously been arrested in January 2025 but was released under unclear circumstances before being re-arrested in May.

An accomplice, Uchenna Obiora, was also arrested at the Onitsha–Awka tollgate while awaiting the ammunition delivery.

Further investigations are ongoing to dismantle the smuggling network and apprehend other collaborators involved in this illegal arms supply.