DSS intensifies crackdown, files fresh terrorism charges against IPOB/ESN commanders, financiers

ABUJA, Nigeria – In a significant escalation of its counter-terrorism operations, the Department of State Services (DSS) has filed new charges against key figures associated with the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

The move signals the agency’s strengthened resolve to dismantle networks responsible for violence in the Southeast.

The DSS has submitted three separate terrorism cases to the Federal High Court in Abuja, targeting individuals identified as IPOB commanders, ESN fighters, arms couriers, and logistical operatives.

The charges are part of a broader strategy to disrupt the groups’ operational and financial infrastructure.

A central element of the new charges is the alleged connection to Simon Ekpa, the Finland-based agitator currently serving a prison sentence for terrorism in his host country.

The DSS asserts that Ekpa and his associates provided financial backing, resources, and strategic direction for attacks within Nigeria.

Among those charged is Ibrahim Ali Larabo, an illegal immigrant from Niger Republic. Operating an unlicensed Bureau de Change, Larabo is accused of being a pivotal terrorism financier, managing significant financial transfers for the Ekpa-linked network to fund IPOB and ESN activities.

This crackdown aligns with the directive of DSS Director-General Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, who assumed office in August 2024.

Ajayi has ordered a comprehensive review and forensic reinvestigation of all inherited terrorism cases to ensure the agency is effectively tackling evolving threats.

The DSS also provided updates on other high-profile prosecutions, including the upcoming trial of internationally wanted militants Mahmud Muhammad Usman (Mamuda) and Abubakar Abba (Abu Baara), set to resume in January 2026, the planned arraignment of Abdulazeez Obadaki (Bomboy), a re-arrested ISWAP commander who confessed to roles in the attacks on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo and the Deeper Life Church in Okene, proceedings against Musa Abubakar, a major arms manufacturer and supplier arrested in Plateau State.

In a related success, the DSS secured the conviction of senior ISWAP commander Ismaila (Mai Tangaran). After pleading guilty, he was sentenced to a total of 75 years in prison by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The DSS’s intensified legal actions underscore a determined government stance against terrorism. These efforts highlight the complex, multi-faceted nature of the threat, including its international dimensions, while reinforcing the commitment to holding perpetrators accountable for national security and stability.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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