• Says‘we’re not recruiting terrorists or killers into Army’
ISWAP terrorist group has announced the death of its senior leader and Shura Council member, Abu Yahya Al-Muhajir, describing it as a major loss to the sect.

Director, Defence Media Operations (DMO), Maj.-Gen. Michael Onoja announced this yesterday during his monthly briefing on troops’ operations across the theatres.

Onoja said the confirmation underscored the sustained effectiveness of the Armed Forces of Nigeria’s (AFN) kinetic operations in degrading ISWAP’s command and leadership structure.

He declared that contrary to insinuations making the rounds about repentant terrorists being mobilised into the military through the back door, “we are not recruiting any killers into the Army, and we can never do that.”

Onoja revealed that the first quarter of 2026 demonstrated the unwavering resolve, professionalism, and gallantry of the men and women of the Armed Forces.

The spokesman said across the seven operational theatres, the AFN delivered measurable strategic outcomes: scores of terrorists and criminal leaders eliminated; 1,359 suspects arrested; 813 kidnapped civilians rescued; 197 insurgents surrendered; 458 arms and 15,899 rounds of ammunition recovered.

However, the Operation Safe Corridor (OSC), created in 2016, only received low-risk repentant terrorists for the De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Integration (DRR) programme, the Coordinator, Brig-Gen Yusuf Ali, revealed,

Ali also denied that the low-risk clients were recruited into the military.

The coordinator made the clarifications during the monthly briefing by the DMO.

Ali said the repentant hoodlums were categorised into three – low, medium, and high-risk terrorists.

According to him, the low-risk clients were those conscripted into the terrorist group during the heat of the insurgency in the North-East.