The Nigerian military has attributed its recent operational successes against the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), and other criminal elements across the South-East and parts of Cross River State to the strategic leadership and guidance of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, Major General Oluremi Fadairo, disclosed this during a media tour briefing organised by the Defence Headquarters Department of Media Operations, where defence correspondents were updated on the achievements of 82 Division under Operation UDOKA from August 2025 to date.
Major General Fadairo said that “the operational tempo and successes recorded across the Division’s Area of Operations are a direct reflection of the CDS’s overarching vision of a joint, professional, adaptive and people-centred Armed Forces capable of addressing Nigeria’s security challenges through a balanced application of kinetic and non-kinetic approaches”.
He noted that security threats in the region, driven largely by IPOB and ESN activities, have been systematically degraded through a phased operational framework approved and guided at the strategic level by Defence Headquarters.
According to the GOC, sustained joint operations, intelligence-led engagements, and robust civil-military cooperation have significantly disrupted criminal networks, reduced violent incidents, and restored relative calm in several previously troubled communities across the South-East.
In Cross River State, he revealed that no fewer than 80 militants voluntarily surrendered their arms under a state amnesty programme, while in Ebonyi State, a Defence-supported Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) initiative facilitated the disarmament and rehabilitation of former vigilante members involved in communal conflicts.
Major General Fadairo reaffirmed that the achievements recorded under Operation UDOKA underscore the effectiveness of the CDS’s leadership and joint operational strategy, assuring that 82 Division remains committed to sustaining peace, security, and socio-economic stability across the South-East and adjoining regions.