Army Captures IPOB/ESN Kingpin ‘Gentle De Yahoo’ in Imo, Uncovers Arms Cache and Terror Cell

|By Chinwendu Nwani

The Nigerian Army has arrested a notorious commander of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Eastern Security Network (ESN), Ifeanyi Eze Okorienta, better known as Gentle De Yahoo.

Troops of the 34 Artillery Brigade, in a joint operation with sister security agencies, stormed Okorienta’s hideout in Aku-Ihube, Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State, where he was captured.

The raid led to the recovery of a cache of arms and incriminating items, including an English pistol, 120 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 25 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, a cartridge, six mobile phones, military and police uniforms, and a German flag. Troops also uncovered a workshop for dismantling stolen vehicles and destroyed 10 motorcycles at the scene.

Military sources revealed that Gentle De Yahoo orchestrated violent “enforcement squads” that terrorized communities in Anambra and Imo, targeting residents who defied IPOB’s sit-at-home orders. He has also been linked to multiple kidnappings, brutal killings, and the beheading of a military couple who traveled to Imo State for their wedding.

For years, his reign of terror left communities across the South East in fear, but security forces say his arrest marks a significant breakthrough in ongoing counter-terrorism operations in the region.