No fewer than 48 kidnap victims have been rescued by the troops of Operation Fansan Yamma (OPFY) Joint Task Force in the North-West following a terrorist attack on Magami Village in Kaura Namoda Local Council Area of Zamfara State early yesterday.

In a statement, the Media and Information Officer of North-West OPFY, Lt.-Col. Aliyu Danja, said the operation was launched after troops of Sector 2 received a distress call indicating that a large group of terrorists riding on about 40 motorcycles had invaded the community.

“The terrorists rounded up many community members with the intention of taking them into the forest, while another group remained at the outskirts of the village with their motorcycles,” Danja added.

“On arrival at the scene, the troops immediately engaged the terrorists in a fierce firefight, forcing them to abandon the kidnap victims and flee into the surrounding forest. The prompt intervention led to the successful rescue of all 48 abducted civilians.

“Regrettably, one civilian lost his life during the attack, while two others sustained gunshot wounds and were evacuated to the General Hospital, Kaura Namoda, where they are currently receiving medical treatment.”

In a related development, the Nigerian Army has confirmed that the chief financial operative of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and two male children surrendered to troops of 3 Battalion under 24 Task Force Brigade, Operation Hadin Kai, in Borno State.

Still on terrorism, the military said it neutralised a senior terrorist commander and propaganda chief, Abu Salim Al-Barnawi, in the past week, disrupted the supply chains for terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, separatist agitators, economic saboteurs and other criminal elements and made arrests, recovered assorted weapons and ammunition following intensified offensives.

In a statement over the weekend, the Acting Military Information Officer, Northeast Operation Hadin Kai, Capt. Mohammed Goni, disclosed that the terrorist surrendered on July 25 along the Ladari–Jegarawa–Tunokalia axis on the Gamboru–Wulgo Main Supply Route in the state.

He described the surrender after what he called “a series of coordinated and decisive land and air offensives” as another major operational breakthrough in the fight against insurgency, adding that approximately 46 terrorists and their family members voluntarily surrendered to troops in recent days.

Goni listed the items recovered from the terrorist to include one AK-47 rifle, four magazines, 101 rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition, one motorcycle and the sum of N40,000, adding that the individual was currently being profiled.

Meanwhile, in an update on troops’ operations across the various theatres between July 17 and July 23, 2026, the Director of Defence Media Operations (DMO), Maj.-Gen. Michael Onoja, described Al-Barnawi’s death on July 12 during an encounter between the troops and the Boko Haram/ISWAP at Kukawa Local Council Area of Borno State as a significant blow to the insurgents’ leadership structure and information network.

Abu Salim al-Barnawi had reportedly led cross-border terrorist raids into Cameroon before being reassigned to the group’s media wing, where he was responsible for photographing and filming terrorist attacks and producing propaganda.

According to Onoja, the Nigerian Army Aviation conducted air strikes on a group of ISWAP/JAS terrorists sighted at Yaganari in Bama Local Council Area, which neutralised scores of terrorists.

Among others, the DMO said the Operation Delta Safe uncovered illegal crude oil refining sites containing a total of 27,155 litres of stolen crude oil and petroleum products across communities in Ahoada East, Ahoada West and Okrika local councils of Rivers State during the period.

Also, troops of Operation Udo Ka raided a forest hideout at Awara Community Waterside along the Omoku-Ogbaku-Ndoni axis of Ohaji/Egbema Local Council Area of Rivers State and recovered one Lee-Enfield MK 1 rifle, one G3 rifle, 116 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition and 13 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, the DMO said.