User:JBchrch/ESN

The Eastern Security Network (ESN) is the paramilitary organization of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a pro-Biafra separatist movement. The IPOB is designated as a terrorist organization by the Nigerian government.

Background
The Igbo people lost the 1967-1970 Nigerian Civil War, during which they attempted to secede from Nigeria and establish an independent government in Biafra. There remains residual support for the independence of Biafra among the Igbos. In addition, may Igbos, who are mostly Christian, consider that they are disadvantaged under the current Nigerian government, which is Muslim-dominated.

Formation
According to Bloomberg, the IPOB formed the ESN in December 2020, "to protect the oil-rich southeastern region against incursions by ethnic Fulani herders it accuses of grazing on farmlands and committing crimes against local residents".

2021
In swift response to the deaths of 20 security personnel in the region in early 2021 by unknown gunmen, including the destruction of three police stations, Nigerian forces raided an ESN camp in Aba, Abia on the night of 23 March 2021. The Nigerian force, numbering hundreds, captured the camp and claimed to have killed 16 ESN fighters. On 29 March the Nigerian police reported arresting 16 ESN members suspected of attacking security personnel.

The Nigerian police blamed the ESN for a prison raid in Owerri on 5 April 2021 in what seemed to be a hasty investigation. A report that was later refuted by the Governor of the state. The attack was made at 2:15 am by gunmen who used explosives to breach the administration block. 1,844 prisoners escaped with the help of the gunmen. By the following day six of the escaped prisoners had voluntarily returned to the prison. An attempt to enter the armoury at the nearby police headquarters was deterred.