By Miriam Humbe
July 31 to August 6, 2026 has been a week of major breakthroughs for the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) who rescued at least 359 kidnapped victims and levelled terrorists, kidnappers, oil thieves and other criminal elements across the country.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, disclosed this in a statement on the military’s operational activities for the period under review.
The operations were conducted across the various theatres of operation and also resulted in the arrest of suspected terrorists and their collaborators, recovery of arms and ammunition, destruction of illegal refining sites and the recovery of hundreds of thousands of litres of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products.
In the North East, troops of Operation HADIN KAI rescued 31 civilians after foiling an attempted abduction along the Buratai-Kamuya Road in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State.
The victims comprised 22 adult males, five adult females and four children.
Four vehicles and a motorcycle belonging to the fleeing terrorists were also recovered.
Troops also rescued two women and two children who had reportedly been held in a terrorist enclave since the 2023 farming season during a clearance operation near Amuda Bridge in Gwoza LGA.
The operation further led to the arrest of suspected terrorist informants and logistics suppliers, while several suspected terrorists and their family members surrendered to the military.
Troops also rescued 18 year old Blessing Tuggur, who was abducted in November 2025 at Dogoba Kopre axis in Askira Uba LGA of Borno State. She was reunited with her family after receiving medical attention.
In the North West, troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA intercepted 21 persons travelling through Giwa LGA of Kaduna State.
Following profiling, five were identified as suspected terrorists and handed over to the Department of State Services, while the remaining passengers were released.
In another operation, troops arrested four suspects in Gudu LGA of Sokoto State and recovered six rustled cattle, mobile phones and N165,000 suspected to be proceeds from the intended sale.
The Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA also carried out a precision air strike on terrorists gathered around Kampani Bobi and Beri Settlement in Mariga LGA of Niger State.
The military said the operation neutralised scores of terrorists who had assembled with about 15 motorcycles, while secondary explosions indicated the destruction of additional logistics, equipment and explosive ordnance.
In the North Central, Operation WHIRL STROKE troops rescued seven victims abducted along the Wukari-Zaki-Biam Road and arrested a suspected gun runner in Makurdi, Benue State, recovering two locally fabricated pistols.
Troops also destroyed a hideout linked to a wanted terrorist leader known as Mathew, alias “Full Fire”, in Ukum LGA and arrested five of his suspected associates.
In Nasarawa State, troops intercepted a motorcycle conveying two women and recovered 10 AK-47 magazines containing 551 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition. Another operation in Doma town led to the recovery of additional AK-47 ammunition.
Troops in Kogi State also foiled kidnap attempts along the Lokoja-Okene Road and in Yagba West LGA, rescuing two victims while one suspected terrorist was neutralised.
Operation SAVANNAH SHIELD recorded one of the biggest rescue operations during the period, with troops rescuing 308 abducted persons, mainly women and children, from the Kainji Lake National Park in Borgu LGA of Niger State.
Of the rescued victims, 163 were indigenes of Woro village in Kwara State, while 145 were from Niger State.
The troops also engaged terrorists who were moving from Zamfara State towards Kamfanin Bobi village in Mariga LGA, Niger State, apparently to launch a reprisal attack on a military base. One terrorist was killed and nine motorcycles were recovered.
In the South South, troops of Operation DELTA SAFE rescued 11 kidnap victims along the Lagos-Benin Road in Edo State.
The military also intensified its campaign against crude oil theft and illegal refining under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, dismantling three reactivated illegal refining sites in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni axis of Rivers State.
About 61,000 litres of stolen petroleum products, comprising 43,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and 18,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil, were discovered in 12 dugout pits and reservoirs.
A further 85,300 litres of crude oil products were discovered in the same axis on August 5.
In Delta State, troops operating in the Oteghele axis on August 6 discovered and handled 105,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil products.
In the South East, Operation UDO KA recorded breakthroughs against armed criminal groups and secessionist elements following the arrest of several suspects linked to an earlier ambush on troops.
The suspects led troops to hideouts in Delta, Imo and other locations where weapons allegedly used during the ambush, as well as additional arms and ammunition, were recovered.
A militant leader known as “Comedy” also surrendered a cache of arms buried in Egbema, Imo State, through the State Amnesty Chairman.
Troops subsequently arrested five suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Enugu State and destroyed a suspected hideout.
Two General Purpose Machine Guns, ammunition and an Improvised Explosive Device were also recovered.
The troops further foiled a kidnap attempt along the Nsukka-Obollo Road in Udenu LGA of Enugu State, forcing the perpetrators to abandon their victim and flee.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, commended troops across the various theatres for their discipline, courage and commitment to national security.
He also acknowledged the collaboration between the Armed Forces, other security agencies, local security groups and other stakeholders, describing the cooperation as critical to the successes recorded in the ongoing operations.
The CDS urged Nigerians to continue providing credible and timely information to security agencies, assuring citizens that the Armed Forces would sustain the current tempo of operations until peace and stability are restored across the country.
