Troops Kill Scores, Arrest 103 Suspects, Rescue 37 Kidnap Victims in One Week — DHQ
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Troops Kill Scores, Arrest 103 Suspects, Rescue 37 Kidnap Victims in One Week — DHQ
…Foils oil theft worth ₦37.5m, dismantles criminal hideouts
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has announced a major breakthrough in counter-terrorism and anti-crime operations across the country, with troops killing scores of insurgents, arresting 103 criminal suspects, and rescuing 37 kidnapped victims within a week.
Briefing journalists at the weekly military operations briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, said the feats were recorded between 7 and 14 August 2025 through coordinated land and air offensives in collaboration with Hybrid Forces, local security groups, and other agencies.
In the North East, under Operation Hadin Kai, troops carried out aggressive raids in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa States, eliminating Boko Haram, ISWAP, and JAS terrorists.
They arrested 37 suspects, freed five captives, and recovered assorted arms, ammunition, vehicles, motorcycles, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
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In the North West, Operation Fasan Yamma forces launched strikes in Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, and Sokoto States, killing armed bandits, apprehending 11 suspects, and rescuing 17 hostages.
Similar offensives in Chikun, Birnin Gwari, and Zaria yielded further successes.
The North Central theatre also recorded gains. Troops of Operation Safe Haven eliminated threats in Plateau, Kaduna, and Bauchi States, arrested four suspects, and freed six victims.
A gunrunner with an AK-47 rifle hidden in a sack of animal feed was intercepted along the Kwoi–Keffi Road in Jama’a LGA of Kaduna State.
Under Operation Whirl Stroke, soldiers in Benue, Taraba, Kogi, and the FCT arrested 13 suspects, rescued nine hostages, and seized a cache of ammunition from a deserted extremist camp.
Two notorious arms dealers were nabbed in Kogi State.
In the oil-rich South-South, Operation Delta Safe troops disrupted illegal refining activities, preventing oil theft worth over ₦37.5 million.
They seized thousands of litres of stolen crude, diesel, and petrol, destroyed illegal refining sites, and arrested 34 suspects linked to oil theft, cultism, and kidnapping.
In the South East, Operation Udo Ka personnel killed armed fighters, apprehended six suspected IPOB/ESN members and a kidnapper in Imo, Anambra, and Ebonyi States, and recovered weapons and ammunition.
Major General Kangye pledged that the Armed Forces would maintain operational momentum, saying:
“Our troops will sustain the pressure on terrorists, bandits, and all criminal elements until peace and stability are restored in every part of the country.”
