The Nigerian Army has intensified nationwide security operations, killing eight suspected terrorists, arresting 51 people and rescuing 27 victims in a three-day sweep that targeted insurgents, kidnappers, gunrunners and illegal miners across multiple states, the military said on Monday.
The operations, conducted between 29 November and 1 December, involved coordinated raids in the North East, North Central, North West and the South-South, according to military sources familiar with the debriefings.
In Borno State, troops from the 151 and 152 Task Force Battalions, alongside the 192 Battalion, carried out ambush and clearance missions that left four ISWAP and Boko Haram fighters dead.
Soldiers recovered rifles, ammunition of various calibres and communication devices during the engagements around Chibok, an area frequently targeted by jihadist factions.
In the North Central and North West regions, security forces rescued 20 kidnap victims across Plateau, Taraba, Benue, Kogi, Kaduna and Delta states.
The rescues included women and a minor freed during operations in Tsanyawa, Kankia, Zaki-Biam, Panyam and Yagba West.
Troops also arrested suspected kidnappers, human traffickers, extremist collaborators and illegal miners, with the combined arrests accounting for a significant portion of the 51 suspects taken in for interrogation.
In Taraba, soldiers responding to communal clashes in Karim Lamido killed four armed men and confiscated locally fabricated weapons, ammunition and motorcycles. In Delta State, troops seized a pistol, cartridges and mobile phones after arresting suspected cultists.
Separately, troops in Plateau recovered 76 rustled cattle and returned them to their owners, part of a broader push to tackle banditry affecting farming communities.
In the South-South, anti-oil theft operations dismantled an illegal refining site containing about 1,000 litres of stolen crude. Joint raids with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) led to the arrest of 25 suspects linked to drug distribution networks in Bayelsa and Rivers.
A significant haul was intercepted in Kaduna State, where soldiers stopped vehicles carrying 5,000 kilogrammes of gelatine explosives, 3,000 metres of cordtex fuse, 10 electric detonators and 1,000 metres of connecting wire. Investigations are ongoing to determine the intended destination and potential links to armed groups.
Troops also arrested a suspected gunrunner, Shuaibu Isah, known as “Alhaji”, who was allegedly attempting to collect 1,000 rounds of ammunition from accomplices still on the run. Military officials described the arrest as “a major breakthrough”.
The latest operations come weeks after the Defence Headquarters announced intensified counter-terrorism efforts following a series of attacks in the North West and the killing of several civilians in Plateau, where armed militias have continued to clash over land and resource tensions.
The Nigerian Army said it will maintain pressure on criminal groups across all theatres, reiterating that terrorists and their collaborators “will find no safe haven anywhere in the country.”
