The Nigerian Army has announced that troops from the 185 Battalion have successfully dismantled a criminal hideout used by suspected terrorists in Anambra State, located in Nigeria's south-east region. According to a statement posted on the army's Facebook page, the operation was carried out in collaboration with the Anambra Vigilante Group. The troops were responding to reports of kidnappings in the Osakwa General Area of Ihiala Local Government Area.
The rescue operation began after three kidnap victims were abducted in the area. On October 1, 2026, troops conducted a snap operation and arrested one of the suspected kidnappers, identified as Sunday Obi. During interrogation, Obi provided information that led troops to the location of the syndicate's camp at Abator in Ogbaru Local Government Area, across the Isieke waterside.
The army said that troops subsequently launched another operation at the identified location, using canoes to cross the waterways and access the terrorists' hideout. Upon reaching the area, troops engaged the terrorists with overwhelming firepower, forcing them to flee with gunshot wounds. Several items were recovered from the scene, including AK-47 rifles, pump-action guns, locally fabricated Dane guns, and ammunition.
The recovered items also included a solar generator, power bank, car battery, motorcycle batteries, solar panels, and mobile phones, which supported the terrorists' operational and logistical activities. The army stated that the recovery exposes the logistical infrastructure sustaining terrorist and kidnapping activities in the area and provides additional intelligence for ongoing efforts to dismantle the wider network.
The Nigerian Army, through Operation Udo Ka, has vowed to sustain coordinated kinetic and intelligence-driven operations to dismantle more terrorist enclaves and dislodge the criminals. Follow-up operations are underway to apprehend fleeing terrorists, their collaborators, logistics suppliers, and other facilitators. Troops will continue to work with relevant security agencies and local stakeholders to strengthen security and safeguard communities.
The South-east region has witnessed deadly attacks by gunmen in recent years, often linked to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). However, IPOB has repeatedly denied involvement in the attacks, despite being designated a terrorist organisation by Nigerian authorities in 2017. The group's leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was sentenced to life imprisonment for terrorism in November 2025 and is currently serving his sentence at the Sokoto prison facility.
Recent reports indicate that attacks and killings have reduced by 50 per cent in the South-east since the arrest and imprisonment of Simon Ekpa, a controversial Biafra agitator, in Finland in 2025. Ekpa, who leads a faction of IPOB called Autopilot, was sentenced to six years' imprisonment in Finland for terrorism-related offences. The Nigerian security operatives, mainly the police and the Nigerian Army, have been conducting various operations in the South-east to confront gunmen linked to IPOB.
Key points
- The Nigerian Army has rescued three kidnap victims and arrested one suspected kidnapper in Anambra State.
- The operation was carried out in collaboration with the Anambra Vigilante Group.
- The army has vowed to sustain coordinated operations to dismantle more terrorist enclaves and dislodge the criminals.
