How Troops Captured Mastermind Behind NDLEA Commander’s Kidnap in Anambra

Troops of Operation UDO KA have arrested three suspects linked to the abduction of the Anambra State Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), according to the Defence Headquarters (DHQ). The suspects—Emeka Ede, Okwudili Aja, and Onyebuchi Aja—were apprehended during a raid jointly carried out with operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) at their residence on Wednesday.

Major General Markus Kangye, Director of Defence Media Operations, disclosed the development on Thursday during a press briefing in Abuja, covering military activities for the second quarter of the year. He stated that intelligence reports identified the suspects as the masterminds of the June 12 kidnapping. During the operation, troops recovered a cache of weapons, ammunition, and illicit drugs. The items are now in the custody of the military, while the suspects are undergoing interrogation.

Kangye also revealed that from June 28 to 30, troops engaged in offensive operations against terrorists in Owerri West and Ihiala Local Government Areas of Imo and Anambra States. These operations led to the arrest of 21 suspected drug traffickers. Recovered items included arms, ammunition, explosives-making materials, vehicles, motorcycles, and mobile phones.

In a separate operation on June 26, troops arrested two individuals at a Point of Sale (POS) location in Ihiala, allegedly linked to a financier of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN). Items recovered from the scene included eight mobile phones, transaction booklets, and N1.5 million in cash. The suspects are currently being interrogated.