A major security breakthrough has been recorded in Anambra State as the police-led joint security team uncovered and destroyed a local bomb factory operated by a secessionist group in Isseke, Ihiala Local Government Area.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, the targeted raid was conducted on Saturday, May 24, 2025, in one of the last remaining strongholds of the group — a hideout that had reportedly evaded security operations for over two years.
“The joint security team comprising the police, military, and operatives of the Anambra State Vigilante Service extended their offensive operation to a criminal hideout at Isseke,” Ikenga said.
During the raid, security forces destroyed the local bomb-making facility and safely demobilised a cache of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used by the criminals to orchestrate attacks and evade capture.
In a chilling twist, one of the IEDs buried around the camp detonated during the operation, ripping up part of the road and revealing the group's strategy to create a deadly buffer zone to deter law enforcement. Fortunately, no lives were lost in the incident.
“This criminal camp was one of the most fortified and feared enclaves used to wreak havoc in the state,” Ikenga noted, adding that its dismantling marks a critical milestone in the ongoing crackdown on violent secessionist elements.
The operation forms part of a broader campaign to reclaim territories and restore peace across the state, especially in areas that have seen repeated attacks on security operatives and infrastructure.
Security forces have vowed to maintain their operational dominance and continue combing suspected criminal enclaves until total peace is restored.
The successful operation underscores the mounting pressure on outlawed groups operating in the South-East, with renewed collaboration between federal security agencies and local vigilante services driving recent gains.
