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The Defence Headquarters, on Thursday, confirmed the capture of a notorious terror kingpin in Imo State, Nigeria’s South-east.
The terror kingpin, Ifeanyi Eze, is popularly known as Gentle De Yahoo.
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The Director of Defence Media Operations, Markus kangye, announced this during a weekly press briefing in Abuja.
PREMIUM TIMES obtained a video clip and text of the press briefing.
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Capture
At the briefing, Mr Kangye, a major general, said troops of Operation UDO KA of the Nigerian Army captured Mr Eze during an operation in the south-eastern state between eight and 13 October 2025.
The official said Mr Eze is a suspected commander of a terrorist group, the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed militant wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
He added that he had been on the troops’ wanted list alongside eight other criminals in Owerri West and Mbaitoli LGAs of Imo as well as in Izzi and Ohaukwu LGAs of Ebonyi State.
“Additionally, a female IPOB/ESN collaborator who also was believed to be one of their logistics suppliers was arrested in Umunneochi LGA of Abia State,” he said.
Mr Kangye said, during an operation on 13 October, three children who were biological children of another wanted IPOB/ESN leader, Maduabuchi Nwankwo otherwise known as Emergency, were found in the custody of the female IPOB collaborator.
“It was further revealed that the terrorist leader is also her relation,” he said.
Several arms, ammunition and a vehicle were recovered from the suspects during the operations, according to the military authorities.
Background
Mr Eze, who claims to be a Biafra agitator, has been linked to growing attacks in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State, including the recent murder of three of his fighters in the area.
The terror kingpin is a commander of Biafra Liberation Army in Okigwe which was established by Simon Ekpa, another controversial Biafra agitator and leader of Autopilot, a faction of IPOB.
IPOB is a group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.
Mr Ekpa was recently jailed for terrorism in Finland, a North European country.
Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES reported in September that Mr Eze and his were feared killed when Nigerian troops raided their hideout in Aku-Ihube, a community in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State.
Military sources had told this newspaper at the time that it was unclear if Mr Eze was among those killed during the operation.
Like other states in Nigeria’s South-east, security has deteriorated in Imo State with frequent attacks by armed persons in recent times.
READ ALSO: Notorious terror kingpin, others feared killed as Nigerian troops invade hideout
Attacks by gunmen who claim to be agitating for Biafra and other criminals in the South-east have combined to worsen insecurity in the region.
The Nigerian government has repeatedly accused IPOB of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region.
But the IPOB faction led by Nnamdi Kanu has consistently denied its involvement in the attacks.
