The Nigerian Armed Forces have intensified their onslaught against criminal networks across the country, killing several high-profile terror commanders, rescuing over a hundred kidnapped victims, and thwarting oil theft worth more than N1.3 billion in July alone.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, made the disclosure on Friday in Abuja during a briefing on the military’s operational performance across various theatres in the past month.
According to Kangye, five notorious terror leaders — Yellow Danbokolo, Amir Dunkei, Kachalla Nagomma, Gurmu, and Ali Yar Daribiyar — were neutralised during offensives in the North-East and North-West regions.
“In total, 578 suspected terrorists, kidnappers, and criminal elements were arrested in July, while 134 kidnapped victims were successfully rescued and reunited with their families,” Kangye announced.
He added that a wanted terrorist commander, Ibn Ali, alongside 151 fighters and their families, voluntarily surrendered to troops during clearance operations in the North-East, further weakening insurgent strongholds in the region.
The military also apprehended several high-profile suspects in sting operations. Those arrested include gunrunners, kidnappers, and extremist leaders such as Yakubu Jubril, Abubakar Yahaya, Isiya Sani, Haruna Abdullahi, and Ali Abba.
Others are Mallam Aminu Idris, Mohammed Hamisu (alias Mamiyo or Officer Mohammed), Shuaibu Bulama, Isah Abdullahi, Abdullahi Mohammed, a suspected cult kingpin Prince Justin Ishimiri, and an extremist cell leader, Liamdoo Douglas Adekpe, also known as Bajor.
On the economic front, troops under Operation Delta Safe dismantled multiple illegal oil bunkering networks in the Niger Delta, preventing sabotage and theft of crude oil valued at over N1.31 billion.
Recovered items include:974,976 litres of stolen crude oil ; 269,257 litres of illegally refined diesel (AGO) ; 1,759 litres of kerosene (DPK) and ; 3,447 litres of petrol (PMS).
Troops also destroyed 126 cooking ovens, 107 dugout pits, 73 illegal refining sites, 39 boats, 83 storage tanks, 88 drums, and 35 vehicles used for crude oil theft. A total of 285 suspects were arrested in connection with the economic sabotage.
Major General Kangye emphasized that the Armed Forces, under the leadership of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, are executing intelligence-led operations grounded in professionalism and respect for human rights.
“Our resolve is unwavering. The tide is turning against enemies of the state. We will sustain this momentum until peace and security are fully restored,” he said.
The Defence Headquarters reaffirmed its commitment to defending Nigeria’s territorial integrity and dismantling criminal infrastructures threatening national stability.
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