Military neutralises 554 terrorists, arrests 1,333 in Q3
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Military neutralises 554 terrorists, arrests 1,333 in Q3
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The Armed Forces of Nigeria neutralised 554 terrorist fighters and arrested 1,333 terrorists and other criminal suspects across the country during the third quarter of 2026, the Defence Headquarters has said.
The military also rescued 1,661 kidnapped victims and facilitated the surrender of 333 insurgents and their families across the various theatres of operation during the quarter.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja made the disclosure during the Defence Headquarters’ combined monthly and third-quarter media briefing on ongoing military operations across the country on Wednesday in Abuja.
Onoja said troops sustained kinetic and non-kinetic operations against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, oil theft, illegal refining and secessionist activities between July and September 2026.
In the North-East, troops of Operation Hadin Kai neutralised 273 terrorist fighters, arrested 348 terrorists, rescued 297 kidnapped victims and facilitated the surrender of 331 insurgents and their families during the quarter.
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The operation covered Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, where troops also disrupted terrorist logistics networks and arrested suspected collaborators, informants, spies and suppliers.
In the North-West, Operation Fansan Yamma recorded 230 terrorists neutralised, 147 arrested and 508 kidnapped victims rescued during the quarter.
The operation covered Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states and included operations against terrorist kingpins, arms traffickers and kidnapping networks.
The military’s operations in the North-Central also recorded significant results.
Under Operation Savannah Shield, troops operating in Kwara and Niger states neutralised 16 terrorist fighters, arrested 36 terrorists and rescued 365 kidnapped victims during the quarter.
Operation Enduring Peace, covering Bauchi, Kaduna and Plateau states, recorded 16 terrorists neutralised, 344 terrorists arrested and 74 kidnapped victims rescued.
Similarly, Operation Whirl Stroke, covering Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa and Taraba states, neutralised nine terrorist fighters, arrested 202 terrorists and rescued 397 kidnapped victims during the quarter.
The military also reported repeated clearance of improvised explosive devices in parts of Kwara and Niger states under Operation Savannah Shield.
During the quarter, troops safely defused 12 IEDs found in Borgu and Kaiama Local Government Areas, including nine devices discovered along a main supply route between Machan-Gyada and Masaka villages.
In the South-South, Operation Delta Safe focused on kidnapping, organised criminal activities, crude oil theft and illegal refining across Bayelsa, Edo and Rivers states.
The operation recorded 181 criminals arrested, destroyed 104 illegal refining sites and recovered more than 1.61 million litres of petroleum products during the quarter.
The recovered products included crude oil, Automotive Gas Oil, Dual Purpose Kerosene and Premium Motor Spirit.
The military spokesperson said operations at Aworkiri and Bethel Creek in Rivers State led to the discovery of approximately 87,000 litres and 182,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil respectively during September.
The Nigerian Navy also discovered and deactivated two illegal refining sites at Ogbogolo Community in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State, recovering approximately 33,800 litres of petroleum products.
In the South-East, Operation Udo Ka recorded 10 terrorist fighters neutralised, 75 terrorists arrested and 20 kidnapped victims rescued during the quarter, while two secessionists surrendered to troops.
The operation covered Anambra, Enugu and Imo states and also targeted illegal oil bunkering and secessionist activities.
The Defence Headquarters said the overall operations during the third quarter reflected sustained military pressure on terrorist and criminal networks across the country’s various theatres.
The military said the operations involved offensive engagements, intelligence-led raids, ambushes, rescue missions, weapons and logistics interdiction, IED clearance and operations against economic saboteurs.
The briefing further stated that, during September alone, troops of Operation Hadin Kai neutralised 27 terrorist fighters, arrested 49 terrorists, rescued 103 kidnapped victims and facilitated the surrender of 73 insurgents and their families.
Operation Fansan Yamma recorded seven terrorists neutralised, 26 arrested and 171 kidnapped victims rescued during the month.
Operation Savannah Shield neutralised five terrorists, arrested two and rescued 27 kidnapped victims, while Operation Enduring Peace neutralised nine, arrested 155 and rescued 28 victims.
Operation Whirl Stroke neutralised one terrorist, arrested 57 and rescued 320 kidnapped victims during September.
Operation Delta Safe arrested 33 criminals, destroyed eight illegal refining sites and recovered more than 304,822 litres of petroleum products, while Operation Udo Ka neutralised three criminals, arrested 28 suspects and rescued six kidnapped victims.
The DHQ said the September operations also resulted in continued disruption of terrorist logistics and arms-trafficking networks, with troops arresting suspected suppliers, informants, spies and other collaborators across several theatres.
In the North-East, troops rescued 44 terrorist family members comprising 13 women and 31 children at Konduga in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State on September 24.
