The Armed Forces of Nigeria have intensified their nationwide crackdown on criminal elements, successfully rescuing 388 kidnapped victims, arresting 31 terrorists, and neutralizing 10 others during various theater operations over the past week.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, disclosed these milestones on Tuesday during a comprehensive operational briefing in Abuja, emphasizing the military’s unwavering commitment to eradicating terrorism, kidnapping, and economic sabotage across the country’s geopolitical zones.
In the North East, troops of Operation Hadin Kai delivered a massive blow to insurgent networks through aggressive multi-axis raids across the Mandara Mountains in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
The high-intensity military bombardments threw Boko Haram and ISWAP enclaves into chaos, paving the way for the rescue of 360 civilians—predominantly women and children—who had been held captive since their abduction from the Ngoshe community in March.
While the rugged mountain terrain tragically claimed the lives of two infants due to extreme hardships, the remaining 358 survivors were swiftly evacuated to the Gwoza General Hospital for emergency medical care and formal registration.
Concurrently, troops of Operation Fansan Yamna achieved decisive breakthroughs in the North West theater, notably intercepting a major arms trafficking pipeline in Zamfara State.
At a snap checkpoint along the Gusau–Shinkafi highway, troops arrested a suspected arms dealer, Mallam Mustapha Abubakar, after discovering a locally fabricated 9mm pistol and over 1,020 rounds of assorted ammunition concealed inside a sack of millet.
Prompt intelligence exploitation enabled troops to track down and arrest his intended recipient in Tupa village, while separate fighting patrols in Maru and Birnin Magaji local government areas led to the elimination of two terrorists, the arrest of eight suspects, and the recovery of essential communication gear, including Baofeng handheld radios and power banks.
In the North Central and Southern theaters, the security umbrella expanded to dismantle notorious kidnap-for-ransom rings and economic saboteurs.
Troops of Operation Enduring Peace in Plateau State successfully rescued eight travelers in Riyom and Barkin Ladi following swift search-and-rescue interventions, while also apprehending two wanted kidnappers positively identified by a former victim.
Meanwhile, in the North Central, Operation Savannah Shield operatives arrested a high-value terrorist informant on the military’s watchlist in Borgu, Niger State, recovering propaganda material linked to a notorious commander.
In Kogi State, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke foiled a highway ambush on three commercial vehicles, rescuing 13 passengers unharmed.
Fulfilling its mandate to curb economic sabotage and violent crime in the southern region, Operation Delta Safe dismantled multiple illegal oil siphoning rigs and trampoline storage facilities in Rivers and Delta states, recovering thousands of liters of stolen crude oil and illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
In the South East, a joint operation by Operation Udoka and the Department of State Services (DSS) in Enugu State dealt a heavy blow to the operational capacity of the proscribed IPOB/ESN group.
Following a raid on a weapons cache disguised as a piggery in Gariki, troops recovered an extensive arsenal—including a General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), an RPG-7 tube, eleven AK-47 rifles, hand grenades, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition—effectively disrupting the proscribed group’s logistics network.
