By Abiodun Folarin
WorldStage— The Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), neutralised 324 terrorists and rescued 610 kidnapped victims in August as part of sustained operations against terrorists and other criminal elements across the country, the Defence Headquarters has said.
The military also arrested 473 terrorists and other criminal suspects, while 201 insurgents surrendered to troops during the month.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at a press briefing on the operations of the Armed Forces.
According to him, the sustained offensive has significantly degraded the operational capabilities of terrorists and other criminal elements across the country.
He said troops recovered 88 arms and 2,077 rounds of ammunition during the operations.
Onoja added that the military also recovered 686,800 litres of stolen crude oil and destroyed more than 21 illegal refining sites as part of efforts to tackle oil theft and other economic crimes.
The Defence spokesperson further disclosed that 10 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who were abducted by suspected kidnappers, had been rescued from Egume Forest in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
He said the rescued corps members were among 15 NYSC members kidnapped last week while travelling from Abuja to Bayelsa State.
According to Onoja, the kidnappers had reportedly demanded N20 million in ransom from the families of some of the victims.
He said security operations were still ongoing to rescue the remaining victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
The Director urged members of the public to remain calm and vigilant, while encouraging them to promptly report suspicious movements or information that could assist security agencies in rescuing the remaining victims and arresting the suspects.
Giving a breakdown of the Joint Task Force North-East operations, Onoja said troops of Operation Hadin Kai maintained robust and aggressive counter-terrorism operations in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno and Yobe states.
He said the operations targeted terrorist fighters, logistics networks, informants and hideouts, while troops simultaneously rescued persons held in terrorist enclaves.
“In the last few weeks, troops rescued 60 kidnap victims and neutralised 114 terrorists, arrested 146 terrorists, while 201 terrorists surrendered,” he said.
On the air component of the operations, Onoja said that on August 6, 2026, the Air Component of Operation Fansan Yamma conducted surveillance over Kampani Bobi and Beri Settlement in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State, followed by a precision air strike that neutralised scores of terrorists who had assembled with about 15 motorcycles in preparation for hostile activities.
“Battle Damage Assessment confirmed the neutralisation of the terrorists, with secondary explosions indicating the destruction of additional logistics and equipment, including explosive ordnance.
“On August 9, the Air Component conducted an armed reconnaissance mission over the Sangeko and Baba-Doka areas in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State following reports of a large concentration of terrorists, many of them mounted on motorcycles.
“The aircraft engaged the terrorists with rockets and cannon fire, disrupting their movement and activities. Initial reports indicated approximately 120 bodies and about 300 motorcycles at the location, with monitoring continuing to further assess the outcome.
“On August 13, armed reconnaissance around Maburya in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State identified a large group of terrorists accompanied by rustled cattle.
“An aircraft subsequently conducted a clearance patrol along the Kainji-Daban Woko axis and armed reconnaissance over Maburya and adjoining areas, where terrorists were sighted fleeing with a herd of rustled cattle.
“The targets were engaged with onboard weapon systems, effectively disrupting their movement and activities and resulting in the neutralisation of 46 terrorists,” he said.
