By Odita Sunday
Troops of 34 Artillery Brigade under Operation UDOKA have dismantled a notorious criminal syndicate linked to the deadly ambush of soldiers in May, recovering stolen military weapons and arresting key suspects in a major intelligence-led operation spanning Delta and Rivers states.
The operation, conducted under the ongoing Operation EASTERN SANITY II, followed months of sustained intelligence-driven efforts after the 4 May 2026 ambush in which one soldier was killed and another wounded, while service weapons were carted away by the attackers.
According to a statement signed by Lieutenant Colonel Olabisi Olalekan Ayeni, Acting Deputy Director Army Public Relations, 82 Division Nigerian Army, troops launched a series of coordinated raids to track down those responsible for the attack. Acting on credible intelligence, troops of 34 Artillery Brigade, in collaboration with 181 Battalion operating under 63 Brigade, Nigerian Army, carried out a coordinated raid in the early hours of 31 July 2026 at Opaebe and Oleh in Delta State.
The operation led to the arrest of three suspected members of the criminal syndicate, identified as Chiboy, Marathon, and Onowu, who allegedly fled to Oleh after the ambush on troops.
Following their arrest, the suspects reportedly led troops to their hideouts at Aggah Plantation, Ekpeaggah, Rivers State, and Umudike Plantation, where the stolen service weapons and other arms used in criminal activities were concealed.
Items recovered during the operation included one stolen AK-47 rifle with two magazines, one FN rifle with two magazines, three additional AK-47 rifles with nine magazines, pistols with magazines, 194 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition, and 45 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition.
Troops also recovered military uniforms and protective equipment, including camouflage shirts, trousers, jungle hats, a fragment protection jacket, an empty first aid box, and five mobile phones believed to be connected to the syndicate’s activities.
The suspects are currently in military custody and will be prosecuted after investigations are concluded.
The Headquarters Joint Task Force South-East, Operation UDOKA, commended the professionalism, resilience and inter-agency collaboration displayed by the troops, noting that the successful operation reinforces the commitment of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies to dismantling criminal networks and sustaining ongoing peace-building efforts across the South-East.
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