By 247ureports.com
Troops of the Nigerian Army’s Operation Udoka have stormed a suspected criminal camp in Abator, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, in an operation that required crossing difficult waterways and dense forest terrain, recovering a cache of firearms, ammunition and materials suspected to be intended for improvised explosive device (IED) production.
How the Operation Unfolded
The raid followed the earlier rescue of three persons abducted in the Osakwa General Area of Ihiala Local Government Area. At about 5:30 a.m. on October 1, troops of 185 Battalion, working with the Anambra Vigilante Group, conducted a follow-up operation and arrested a suspected member of the kidnapping syndicate, identified as Sunday Obi. According to the Army, information obtained from Obi during interrogation led troops to the syndicate’s main camp at Abator, located across the Isieke waterside in Ogbaru LGA — an area known for its difficult terrain and dense forest cover.
Acting on that intelligence, combined troops mobilised canoes to cross the waterways before advancing through the forest toward the hideout. On arrival, troops engaged suspected criminals at the camp, who fled into the surrounding terrain; some are believed to have sustained gunshot wounds during the exchange.
What Was Recovered
Items recovered from the camp included two AK-47 rifles with magazines, three pump-action guns, three locally fabricated dane guns, 62 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, 149 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, and two cartridges. Security forces also recovered suspected IED-making materials, along with a solar generator, a power bank, a car battery, two motorcycle batteries, two solar panels and two mobile phones.
Part of a Sustained Campaign
This is not the first operation targeting this specific area. In a similar raid on August 22, troops of the Joint Task Force South East, working alongside the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Anambra Vigilante Group, launched a dawn offensive on IPOB/ESN strongholds in the nearby Obene and Abator villages within Ochuche and Umunankwo communities, neutralising one suspected terrorist and recovering weapons and additional IED-making materials in that earlier operation.
The State Government’s Role in Local Security Collaboration
The operation’s collaboration with the Anambra Vigilante Group reflects a security partnership the Soludo administration has built since 2022, when it formally established and funded the outfit to work alongside federal security agencies across the state’s 21 local government areas. The state government has periodically credited this joint-security model — vigilantes working with the Army, DSS and police — for supporting operations like this one and for contributing to a broader decline in IPOB/ESN-linked disruptions in Anambra compared to the peak of the “unknown gunmen” crisis in 2021–2022, though independent verification of the overall trend is limited.
What’s Next
Following Wednesday’s raid, troops have consolidated their position in the area and intensified efforts to track down fleeing camp members to prevent them from regrouping elsewhere, consistent with the Army’s stated strategy of sustaining pressure on armed groups operating across the South East.
247ureports.com will update this story as the Nigerian Army releases further details on the operation and any additional arrests.
