Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has commended the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Police for their dedication to securing Nigeria, particularly the South-East geopolitical zone. The governor made the commendation on Friday following a visit to the state DSS headquarters, where he inspected a large cache of arms and ammunition recovered from commanders of the outlawed Eastern Security Network (ESN) in the state.
Arms Recovery Details
During the raid on the ESN armoury, DSS operatives, supported by troops of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, recovered a significant quantity of high-calibre arms and ammunition. Governor Mbah inspected the recovered weapons, which included a rocket launcher, two RPG warheads, three RPG chargers, 11 AK-47 rifles, over 610 rounds of NATO 7.62x39mm ammunition, as well as National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) uniforms and lanyards.
Security Collaboration Praised
Accompanied by the Division's Garrison Commander, Brig. Gen. Abubakar Suru, the State Commissioner of Police, Bitrus Giwa, and other government officials, Mbah praised the cooperation and professionalism of security agencies in the country. He stated that without the diligence and intelligence of the DSS and sister security agencies, the recovered arms and ammunition would have been used by ESN operatives to cause widespread havoc across the South-East, creating a false impression that insecurity has taken over the region.
Support for President Tinubu
Governor Mbah called on Nigerians, regardless of political or religious affiliations, to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's efforts to tackle insecurity. He thanked President Tinubu for backing states in the fight against insecurity, attributing the successes recorded by security agencies across the country to the President's support.
Intelligence and Arrests
Security sources revealed that the raid on the ESN armoury followed intelligence gathered from arrested ESN members, indicating that the group was planning coordinated attacks in Enugu and other South-East states to spread panic and create a false sense of widespread insecurity. This recovery occurred two days before the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced five members of a notorious bandit group to 25 years imprisonment each for assisting gunmen who attacked and abducted students and staff of St. Mary's Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, on November 21, 2025. The five convicts were arrested by DSS operatives in separate operations the previous week.
