Mbah Hails DSS, Army After Major ESN Arms Bust in Enugu, Thanks Tinubu for Supporting States in Fight against Insecurity

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State praised the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Police for their efforts to secure Nigeria, with a particular focus on the Southeast region. The commendation followed his visit to the state’s DSS headquarters, where he inspected a cache of arms and ammunition seized on Tuesday from commanders of the outlawed Eastern Security Network (ESN).

During the raid on the ESN armoury, DSS operatives, supported by troops from the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, recovered a substantial cache of high‑calibre weapons and ammunition. Governor Mbah examined several of the seized items, including a rocket launcher, two RPG warheads, three RPG chargers, 11 AK‑47 rifles, more than 610 rounds of NATO 7.62×39 mm ammunition, as well as National Youth Service Corps uniforms and lanyards.

Accompanied by the Division’s Garrison Commander, Brig. Gen. Abubakar Suru, the State Commissioner of Police, Bitrus Giwa, and other government officials, Mbah highlighted the hard work and cooperation among security agencies. He noted that, without the diligence and intelligence of the DSS and its partner agencies, the recovered arms could have been used by ESN terrorists to cause havoc across the South and create a false impression that insecurity had taken over Nigeria.

Governor Mbah urged Nigerians of all political and religious backgrounds to support President Bola Tinubu’s initiatives to address insecurity. He thanked the President for backing states in the fight against insecurity, stating that such support has contributed to the successes recorded by security agencies nationwide.

Security officials said the raid was prompted by intelligence from arrested ESN members who had indicated that the group was planning to launch terror attacks in Enugu and other Southeast states, create panic, and give the impression that bandits had invaded the region.

The Enugu operation came 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 apprehended by DSS operatives in separate operations last week.