Troops Decimate 217 Terrorists, Rescue 349 Kidnap Victims in October
Nigeria’s Military High Command, the Defence Headquarters, has announced that it’s troops have neutralised 217 terrorists and criminals, arrested 333 suspects and rescued 349 kidnapped victims in sustained military operations across theatres in October 2026.
The various operations also recorded the surrender of 70 insurgents, recovery of 105 assorted weapons and 3,174 rounds of ammunition.
The operations also saw the dismantling of 49 illegal refining sites and recovering 756,837 litres of stolen petroleum products.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, disclosed this Friday in Abuja at the monthly press briefing on the ongoing military operations across the country in Abuja.
Onoja said the operations, conducted between September 30 and October 30, involved troops of the various joint task forces, supported by the Air Components and other security agencies.
General Onoja noted that the operations targeted terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, oil theft, illegal arms trafficking and other forms of criminality across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
According to him, one of the major breakthroughs recorded during the period was the neutralisation of a senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) leader, Abdussamad Ohida, in Owo Forest, Ondo State, on October 2.
Ohida, who was identified as the deputy to the ISWAP leader in Central Nigeria, reportedly assumed leadership of the group following the arrest of its leader by the Department of State Services in 2023.
Onoja said the terrorist leader was involved in planning large-scale attacks on citizens in several states ahead of the forthcoming festive season, adding that his neutralisation had dealt a major blow to the group’s expansion efforts.
In the North-East, troops of Operation Hadin Kai neutralised 162 terrorists, arrested 98, rescued 39 kidnap victims and received the surrender of 68 insurgents during the period under review.
A major engagement occurred on October 6 and 7 when ISWAP terrorists attempted to infiltrate Kukawa town in Borno State.
The troops, supported by the Air Component, repelled the attack after several hours of fighting, neutralising 25 terrorists and recovering six AK-47 rifles, 10 magazines, 797 rounds of PKT ammunition, three rocket-propelled grenade bombs and an anti-tank bomb.
The troops also conducted operations across Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, disrupting terrorist logistics and intelligence networks and arresting suspected collaborators and suppliers.
In the North-West, Operation Fansan Yamma neutralised 18 terrorists, arrested 10 and rescued 167 kidnapped persons, while one terrorist surrendered.
The operation recorded a major success on October 7 when troops repelled a large-scale attack by Lakurawa terrorists in Maiyama Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
The attackers, reportedly numbering more than 100 motorcycles and armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, were engaged by troops, who neutralised 10 terrorists and recovered a machine gun, an AK-47 rifle, ammunition and a communication device.
Troops also rescued 27 villagers abducted in Gamji community, Sabuwa Local Government Area of Katsina State, on October 16.
In the North-Central, Operation Savannah Shield neutralised three terrorists, arrested three, rescued 29 kidnap victims and facilitated the surrender of one terrorist across Kwara and Niger states.
The operation included the rescue of 18 kidnapped persons from the Eruku-Egbe-Koro Forest area of Kwara State on October 10 and another 29 residents abducted by terrorists in Magaji Mai Kadarko village, Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State, on October 15.
Also, troops of Operation Enduring Peace arrested 84 suspects, neutralised six criminals and rescued 13 kidnapped persons across Kaduna and Plateau states.
The troops also arrested suspected arms fabricators and traffickers and rescued two persons from a suspected kidnappers’ hideout in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Also in North-Central operation, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke neutralised 24 terrorists, arrested 71 suspects and rescued 68 kidnapped victims across Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa and Taraba states.
Among the major breakthroughs were the rescue of five kidnapped persons along the Okoloke-Isanlu-Esa axis in Kogi State and 11 passengers abducted along the Ayere-Kabba Road.
The troops also arrested a wanted gunrunner and militia leader in Jape village, Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State, alongside other suspected arms dealers and kidnapping syndicate members.
In the South-South, Operation Delta Safe neutralised two criminals, arrested 45 suspects, dismantled 49 illegal refining sites and recovered 756,837 litres of petroleum products in collaboration with Operation Delta Sentinel.
The troops also sustained operations against crude oil theft, kidnapping and other criminal activities across Cross River, Edo and Rivers states.
In the South-East, Operation Udo Ka neutralised two terrorists, arrested 22 suspects and rescued 33 civilians across Abia, Anambra and Imo states.
The operation recorded the successful rescue of 20 persons, including prospective National Youth Service Corps members, who were abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State on October 1.
Five members of the kidnapping syndicate were subsequently arrested on October 16, with three AK-47 rifles, an English pistol and 81 rounds of ammunition recovered.
Beyond military operations, Onoja said the Armed Forces sustained civil-military cooperation initiatives aimed at strengthening relations with host communities and improving public welfare.
He said the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force undertook medical outreaches, community infrastructure projects, borehole installations, healthcare facilities, school improvements and other interventions across several states.
He added that the Nigerian Air Force also engaged Amnesty International Nigeria on civilian harm mitigation, accountability and compliance with international humanitarian and human rights standards.
The Defence spokesman disclosed that the Armed Forces recorded 98 attacks across the various theatres during the period, with Operation Enduring Peace accounting for 29, Operation Hadin Kai 27, Operation Fansan Yamma 24, Operation Whirl Stroke 12, Operation Udo Ka four, while Operations Delta Safe and Savannah Shield recorded one each.
He, however, acknowledged the loss of civilian lives in terrorist attacks in Binari, Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State, on October 23.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, expressed condolences to the affected families and assured residents that the military would intensify efforts to apprehend those responsible.
Oluyede also commended troops for their resilience and urged them to remain disciplined, uphold the rules of engagement and respect human rights while sustaining operational pressure on criminal elements.
He called on security agencies to deepen intelligence sharing and joint planning, while urging traditional rulers, community leaders and residents to promptly report suspicious activities and deny criminals safe havens.
The CDS further warned terrorist collaborators, informants, logistics suppliers, recruiters and gunrunners that they would face the full weight of the law.
He encouraged members of the public to provide credible information to the nearest military formation or through the toll-free emergency line 193, assuring them that all information would be treated confidentially.
The Armed Forces, he said, remained committed to denying terrorists and other criminal elements freedom of action and restoring lasting peace and security across the country.
