Troops of the newly established 15 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, operating under the Joint Task Force South East, Operation UDO KA, have dismantled three suspected Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network (IPOB/ESN) camps in Anambra State.

The operation, conducted in the early hours of Saturday, August 15, 2026, also resulted in the recovery of weapons, explosives, communication equipment and other logistics allegedly used by the group.

The Army said the intelligence-led operation followed credible information about the activities of suspected IPOB/ESN members operating from camps at Osuakwa, along the boundary between Ihiala and Ogbaru Local Government Areas.

Troops of the 15 Brigade, working with personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Agunechemba Vigilante Group, reportedly launched a coordinated dawn raid on the identified locations.

According to the Army, the joint force came under hostile fire from the suspected terrorists but responded with superior firepower, neutralising three suspected IPOB/ESN members during the ensuing gun battle.

The three camps were subsequently overrun and destroyed to prevent them from being used as operational bases.

Items recovered during the operation included one FN rifle with 10 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, one pump-action shotgun with five cartridges and 15 sticks of dynamite.The troops also The Army said further exploitation of the area led to the arrest of three suspected members of the group, including a man identified as Chijioke and two other suspected accomplices, a male and a female.

The suspects were reportedly found in the company of six children during the operation.

The Commander of the 15 Brigade commended the troops, DSS personnel and members of the Agunechemba Vigilante Group for what he described as their courage, discipline and effective inter-agency collaboration.

He said the operation represented another major setback for criminal and terrorist elements seeking to undermine peace and security in the South-East.

The Nigerian Army assured residents that the newly established brigade would sustain intelligence-led operations in collaboration with other security agencies and local stakeholders to identify and dismantle criminal networks across Anambra State and the wider South-East.

The Army said the operations would continue until criminal elements are denied the freedom to operate and law-abiding residents are provided with a safer environment.