DSS, Army Foil Planned Abduction of WAEC Candidates in South-East

By Opeyemi Adelakun

The Department of State Services (DSS), in collaboration with the Nigerian Army, has foiled an alleged plot by suspected members of the outlawed Eastern Security Network (ESN) to abduct students participating in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in parts of the South-East.

According to the DSS, the planned attacks were to target selected schools in Enugu, Anambra and Imo states, potentially affecting hundreds of candidates sitting for the examination.

The security agency disclosed that operatives acted on intelligence reports and raided a suspected ESN armoury in the Agbani area of Enugu State, leading to the recovery of a large cache of weapons and ammunition.

Items reportedly recovered during the operation included eight AK-47 rifles, 12 magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a smoke grenade launcher, teargas canisters and several items resembling National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) kits.

The DSS said intelligence gathered during the operation indicated that the suspects planned to wear NYSC uniforms while carrying out the attacks in an attempt to disguise their identities and create the impression that bandits were responsible.

Several suspects were reportedly arrested during the operation.

In a separate operation around the Garki area of Enugu, security personnel also uncovered another alleged armoury where additional weapons, including a rocket launcher, rocket-propelled grenade warheads, hand grenades, AK-47 rifles and ammunition, were recovered.

The agency noted that the operations came days after the arrest of suspected arms couriers allegedly linked to a school abduction case in Niger State.