By Chimezie Godfrey
The Defence Headquarters has announced significant nationwide operational gains by troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), highlighting sustained pressure on terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements across all regions of the country.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, detailing successes recorded between March 13 and 19, 2026.
He said the Armed Forces maintained operational dominance through coordinated offensives, resulting in the neutralisation of terrorists, arrest of suspects, rescue of kidnapped victims and recovery of arms and illicit materials.
“These momentum reflect the professionalism and resilience demonstrated by troops operating in close coordination with other security agencies, bolstered by actionable intelligence,” Onoja said.
Onoja said troops of Operation HADIN KAI dealt heavy blows to Boko Haram and ISWAP elements, repelling multiple attacks and degrading their operational capacity.
He noted that a major breakthrough was recorded in Mallam Fatori, where troops foiled a drone-assisted attack and recovered 74 terrorist bodies, including senior commanders.
According to him, in the North-West, troops neutralised terrorists in Zamfara, rescued kidnapped victims in Katsina and foiled abduction attempts in Kaduna.
He added that troops also dismantled logistics networks through arrests of collaborators and ammunition couriers.
The DDMO disclosed that across the North-Central, operations disrupted terrorist supply chains, with arrests of suspects and recovery of weapons, while kidnapped victims were successfully rescued.
He added,”In the South-South, troops intensified operations against oil theft and criminal syndicates, dismantling illegal refining sites and intercepting large volumes of illegally refined petroleum products.
”In the South-East, troops neutralised threats, recovered improvised explosive devices and destroyed criminal hideouts.”
Onoja emphasised that the Armed Forces would sustain the operational tempo.
“The AFN assures Nigerians that ongoing operations will be further intensified to decisively dismantle the remaining pockets of criminal and terrorist elements,” he said.
He also commended troops for their dedication and called for continued public support.