The Nigerian Army is under fire after claims that it falsely linked a kidnapping case in Adani, Enugu State, to IPOB and ESN.
In a statement released April 14 under Operation Eastern Sanity and Operation UDO KA, the Army said troops acting on DSS intelligence raided Adani, arrested a “notorious kidnap suspect,” and recovered a pump action rifle alongside ₦2 million in suspected ransom. The operation was presented as part of efforts to weaken IPOB and ESN networks.
But human rights activist Harrison Gwamnishu, who was directly involved in the operation, has come out strongly to debunk that narrative.
In a video, Gwamnishu reviewed the Army’s statement line by line and exposed what he described as the real issue:
“They dropped two updates and used one post. If you read it very well, you will see there are two different updates inside one release. The way it was written is confusing.”
He made it clear that the suspects arrested in Adani were not IPOB or ESN members, but ordinary kidnappers who had been terrorising the community.
“The people we arrested were kidnappers. These are people that have been terrorising the community. A man was kidnapped last week, ransom was paid, and we went after them. The ransom money was recovered and handed over to the police.”
According to him, the operation followed the April 10 abduction of Mrs. Joseph Victoria along Umeje Road. He mobilized from Asaba with his team and worked alongside the Nigerian Army’s 82 Division in Enugu, acting on DSS intelligence, to track the suspects and recover the ransom.
Midway through his video, footage from the actual operation shows a suspect restrained on the ground, soldiers at the scene, and items recovered including cash and a pump action rifle, all matching what the Army later presented.
Gwamnishu pointed to a specific section of the Army’s release describing the Adani raid:
“In a related intelligence driven operation… troops… tracked and intercepted ransom proceeds linked to a kidnapping syndicate… leading to the arrest of a notorious kidnap suspect… and recovery of a pump action rifle and two million naira.”
He insisted that while this part refers to the kidnapping case, it was merged with a separate operation involving IPOB or ESN, creating the false impression that both were connected.
“At the beginning of the statement, they were talking about another case. Then they added this one together. That is what caused the confusion.”
However, many concerned Nigerians are not buying the “confusion” explanation. Reactions online show widespread scepticism, with several accusing the military of deliberately pushing an IPOB narrative to inflate its operational claims in the South East.
Eyewitness accounts, videos, and details from the scene all point to a straightforward kidnapping case, yet the Army’s framing has fueled accusations of misrepresentation and propaganda.
As of now, the Nigerian Army has not issued any clarification or provided concrete evidence linking the Adani suspects to IPOB or ESN structures.
The rescued victim is safe, while the suspects have been handed over for further investigation.
