Troops under Operation EASTERN SANITY have dismantled several camps linked to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), during coordinated raids in Anambra State.
The Nigerian Army disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday, noting that the latest operations were conducted on March 3 and 4 at Camp Gbadoanya in Orsumoghu, Ihiala Local Government Area. The mission, carried out alongside other security agencies and supported by close air operations from the Nigerian Air Force, targeted what the military described as remaining insurgent elements in the area.
According to the Army, troops advanced into the camp and surrounding locations, clearing out multiple hideouts and dismantling structures believed to have been used by the group. On the first day of the operation, soldiers recovered a cache of weapons and materials, including pump-action shotguns, locally fabricated dane guns, rifle magazines and components, belts of ammunition, as well as tools such as cutting machines.
Explosive-making materials were also found at the site, alongside items described as secessionist paraphernalia, including Biafran currency notes and musical instruments reportedly associated with a Biafran Army band. The military further stated that Biafran flags and a flag said to represent a Biafran Army headquarters were seized and destroyed, after which troops raised the Nigerian flag within the cleared camp.
Operations resumed the following day, leading to the destruction of additional camps within the Gbadoanya axis. The Army said one of the most significant discoveries was a fully functional improvised explosive device (IED) production facility. The site was carefully examined before being dismantled.
Recovered from the fabrication site were several welding, drilling and filling machines, car batteries, an electrode welding handle, 12 locally made firearms and various rifle components, along with other materials believed to have been used in assembling explosive devices.
The renewed offensive forms part of an intensified campaign against IPOB and ESN activities in Anambra State and surrounding areas. In recent months, troops have reportedly dislodged fighters from Lilu Forest in Ihiala Local Government Area. In February 2026, security forces also raided a command centre in Nkwere, where one suspected militant was killed and two others apprehended.
Earlier, in July 2025, the military announced the arrest of an alleged logistics supplier linked to the group in Ihiala, recovering point-of-sale machines and cash suspected to have been used to fund separatist operations.
IPOB was declared a terrorist organisation by the Federal Government in 2017.
