A total of 12 suspected terrorists – one male adult, three females, seven minors, and one young adult male surrendered to troops in the past week following intense military pressure on insurgents in the North East, while 37 different calibers of arms, 30 AK-47, one G3 riffle, one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), one PKT machine gun, three locally made Pistols and one Dane gun were recovered across all the Theatres of operations.
Maj.-Gen. Michael Onoja, the Director Defence Media Operations (DMO), announced this at a news briefing, saying that surrendering and recovery were achieved through synchronised land and air campaigns.
Onoja said that between May 15, and May 21, 2026, troops neutralised dozens of hostile combatants, dismantled deeply entrenched insurgent enclaves, and forced the unconditional surrender of the terrorists.
He also said that there was sweeping disruption of illegal oil bunkering rings in the Niger Delta, massive interdiction of illicit narcotics, and terrorist logistics lines across the South South, North Central and North West, as well as rescue of numerous citizens held in captivity.
He said that in Benue State, on 16 May 2026, troops in Aliade, Gwer East Local Government Area of the state, swiftly countered an armed militia group attempting to violently disrupt the ongoing All Progressives Congress (APC) primary elections, arrested one suspect, and recovered a getaway Sienna vehicle, an AK-47 rifle, magazines, and live ammunition.
According to Onoja, during the period, troops patrolling near Assak village in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, chased down two armed criminals who abandoned a sack containing N2.2 million suspected to be ransom money.
“In Katsina State, on 15 May 2026, troops arrested a major gunrunner at the General Hospital Batsari, in Batsari Local Government Area, while he was seeking treatment for an undisclosed ailment, the suspect was unmasked as a primary supplier of military-grade weapons to notorious kingpins including Bello Turji and the late Kachalla Black.”
He said that on May 19, troops operating in Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State intercepted four illegal miners extracting mineral resources without authorisation, and recovered a mini-truck, heavy-duty sapper cables, and an automotive battery.
Onoja explained that while transporting the arrested suspects and seized equipment to the military base, the troops were aggressively obstructed by an organised mob of local youths from the Ihietu community who attacked the convoy with stones to free the suspects.
He, however, said that the troops demonstrated extreme professional restraint, fired two warning shots into the air to safely disperse the rioters, restore public order, and ensure the secured delivery of the suspects for prosecution without recording any casualties.
The DMO urged Nigerians to remain highly vigilant, reject criminal propaganda, and continuw to support the military with timely, actionable intelligence to guarantee a safe, secure and peaceful nation.
