DSS, military foil kidnap of WAEC students in South East, recover weapons
On Wednesday, operatives from the Department of State Services, along with troops from the Nigerian Army, successfully thwarted a significant attempt by members of the banned Eastern Security Network to abduct numerous students who were taking the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination in several Southeast states.
The schools that were targeted for these abductions were situated in Enugu, Anambra, and Imo states.
A statement issued on Thursday by the DSS indicated that the operatives of the secret police and soldiers acted upon reliable intelligence and conducted a raid on an ESN armory located in the Agbani area of Enugu State.
Furthermore, the statement noted that intelligence had indicated that ESN members intended to carry out the attacks while disguised in National Youth Service Corps uniforms.
“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. Also recovered were one smoke grenade launcher, two teargas canisters, 10 NYSC trousers, eight NYSC T-shirts and four NYSC lanyards.
“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.
“Several members of the organisation were reportedly arrested. Earlier on Tuesday, a team comprising DSS operatives and soldiers, around the Garki area of Enugu, raided another ESN armoury,” the statement partly read.
The security team reported the recovery of a rocket launcher, two rocket-propelled grenade warheads, three RPG chargers, and three AK-47 rifles among the arms seized.
Additionally, the team retrieved six AK-47 magazines, two handheld grenades, one teargas gun, a baton, two teargas canisters, 270 rounds of NATO 7.62x39mm ammunition, 478 rounds of 7.62x39mm special ammunition, a bandolier, and another baton.
These recoveries occurred shortly after DSS operatives apprehended five suspected arms couriers associated with the gunmen responsible for the abduction of students and staff from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri Village, Niger State, on November 21, 2025.
Had the intended abduction taken place, it would have exacerbated fears regarding the resurgence of school kidnappings in Nigeria, where students have increasingly been targeted by criminal and terrorist factions in recent years. Numerous mass abductions from educational institutions across the nation have attracted both national and international scrutiny, leading to heightened security protocols around schools.
