Security operatives in Anambra State have killed three suspected members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Eastern Security Network (ESN) during an operation to enforce compliance with an illegal sit-at-home directive along the Nnewi–Oba Road.
A counter-insurgency and security analyst focused on the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed the development in a post on X on Monday, the 9th of February, 2026.
Makama said a joint patrol team, comprising security agencies and local vigilantes, encountered armed individuals barricading sections of the road around Akaboukwu in Uruagu, Nnewi, at about 2:00 a.m. on the 9th of February.
The report stated that the suspected militants opened fire immediately after spotting the patrol team, prompting a fierce exchange of gunfire.
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During the confrontation, the operatives overwhelmed the assailants, forcing several of them to retreat into nearby bushes.
Three of the suspected ESN members were neutralized in the process, while others reportedly escaped with gunshot injuries, abandoning their weapons.
The bodies of the slain suspects, who were found wearing assorted native charms on their waists, hands, and necks, were recovered, certified dead by medical personnel, and subsequently taken to the morgue for autopsy and preservation.