Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), in collaboration with troops of the Nigerian Army, have foiled a planned mass abduction of students sitting for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in parts of the South-East.
According to a statement issued by the DSS on Thursday, the operation followed credible intelligence indicating that members of the outlawed Eastern Security Network (ESN) were plotting coordinated attacks on selected schools in Enugu, Anambra and Imo states.
Acting on the intelligence, security operatives on Wednesday raided an ESN armoury located in the Agbani area of Enugu State. During the operation, a large cache of weapons and other items was recovered, including eight AK-47 rifles, 12 AK-47 magazines, 323 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, a smoke grenade launcher, two teargas canisters, 10 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) trousers, eight NYSC T-shirts and four NYSC lanyards.
The DSS disclosed that the suspects allegedly planned to disguise themselves in NYSC uniforms while carrying out the attacks in order to create the impression that bandits had invaded the region.
The agency further revealed that several members of the group were arrested during the operation. It added that a joint DSS-military team had earlier, on Tuesday, raided another ESN armoury around the Garki area of Enugu State.
Items recovered from the second operation included a rocket launcher, two rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) warheads, three RPG chargers, three AK-47 rifles, six AK-47 magazines, two handheld grenades, a teargas gun, two teargas canisters, 270 rounds of NATO 7.62x39mm ammunition, 478 rounds of 7.62x39mm special ammunition, a bandolier and a baton.
The development comes barely a week after DSS operatives arrested five suspected arms couriers linked to gunmen involved in the abduction of students and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri Village, Niger State, in November 2025.
Security analysts say the successful operation may have prevented another major school kidnapping incident, at a time when concerns remain high over attacks on educational institutions across the country.