Army raids IPOB/ESN strongholds, busts kidnapping network; recovers IEDs, cash

On April 14, 2026, Nigerian Army troops under Operation Eastern Sanity conducted a raid in Ajali Forest, Enugu State, targeting IPOB/ESN strongholds. The operation resulted in the recovery of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and the arrest of a kidnapping suspect, along with the seizure of two million naira in cash. Military operations have weakened the IPOB/ESN structure, forcing them to abandon their hideouts and scatter.