Troops smash terror cells, bandit camps, others in nationwide sweep

By Paul Dada

The Defence headquarters (DHQ) says troops in operations across the country, arrested 63 terrorists and rescued 89 kidnap victims in the past week.

This was disclosed in a statement on Friday by the Director Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen Markus Kangye.

According to Kangye, troops also arrested 33 suspected oil thieves and recovered stolen products worth N25,045,400.00.

He said in the Northeast,  troops arrested 18 terrorists and rescued three hostages within the week.

He also said they recovered weapons, ammunition, logistics items, vehicles, and detonated some Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

In his update, the defence spokesman said troops arrested a suspected terrorist in Gubio Local Government Area of Borno state who he said confessed to hiding some arms and ammunition in a location.

He said, “On arrival at the location on 17 August 2025, troops recovered 3 AK47 rifles, magazines and ammunitions through the guidance of his accomplice.”

According to him, in the Northwest, troops rescued 60 kidnap victims and arrested 25 suspected bandits and terrorists during ongoing operations.

He said in the Northcentral region, troops apprehended 16 criminals, including a notorious wanted terrorist identified as Adamu Buba, also known as Mai Pankshin. Arms, ammunition, and motorcycles were recovered during the operation.

Kangye said in the Southeast, security forces rescued 20 kidnap victims from an orphanage, including nine pregnant women, seven infants, and four children. The victims were handed over to officials of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for further investigation.

Meanwhile, in the South-South region, 33 suspected oil thieves were arrested, and stolen petroleum products valued at ₦25,045,400 were recovered. The recovered items included 25,820 litres of stolen crude oil, three boats, three tricycles, four vehicles, mobile phones, and pumping machines.

Troops also destroyed eight illegal refining sites, two crude oil cooking ovens, and four dugout pits, while recovering assorted arms, ammunition, and explosives.