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Troops have neutralised a suspected female ISWAP/JAS spy in Borno and arrested 14 suspected criminals, including IPOB/ESN members, cultists and a deserter soldier in separate operations across the country.

Operational reports made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday said the suspected terrorist was sighted through CCTV cameras approaching a military position from the Sambisa axis.

The report said troops of 222 Battalion at Forward Operating Base Kawuri in Konduga Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno neutralised the suspect before she could reach the defensive perimeter.

It said troops of Operation MESA also arrested a deserter soldier of 13 Brigade at a checkpoint in Bwari Area Council of the FCT.

According to the report, the troops recovered a military uniform and a vehicle from the deserter during the arrest.

“The troops also intercepted another vehicle conveying suspected stolen armoured cables and arrested the driver for further investigation.

“In the South-East, troops of Operation UDO KA apprehended five suspected IPOB/ESN members at Etuekwe Junction in Orsu LGA of Imo,” it said.

The report said the suspects were arrested at a secluded location believed to be a movement route used by the criminal group.

It added that troops of 82 Division Garrison and 103 Battalion, working with other security agencies, arrested eight suspected cultists at Eha-Amufu in Isi-Uzo LGA of Enugu.

“Preliminary investigation linked the suspects to terrorist activities around the Eha-Amufu border communities between Enugu and Ebonyi states.

“The suspects were subsequently handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation and prosecution,” it added.

The report said troops conducting Operations Desert Sanity V, FANSAN YAMMA and Savannah Shield recorded no major incidents within their respective areas of responsibility during the period under review.

It also disclosed that a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Sub-Delegation, Maiduguri, visited Sector 3 of Operation HADIN KAI/MNJTF at Kinnasara Cantonment in Monguno, Borno.

According to the report, the ICRC team briefed the sector commander on its humanitarian mandate and commitment to promoting International Humanitarian Law and supporting conflict-affected populations across the Lake Chad Basin.

(NAN)

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The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has urged eligible Nigerians to take advantage of the remaining days of the Continuous Voter Registration, warning that the registration window will close on Sunday, July 26, 2026.

In a public notice issued on its X handle on Saturday, the electoral body reminded prospective voters that they could complete their registration online from start to finish through its dedicated CVR portal or visit designated registration centres nationwide for physical assistance.

“Your future won’t wait. Neither should you. The Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, exercise ends Sunday, 26 July 2026,” the commission said.

INEC encouraged Nigerians who require assistance to visit any of its state offices, local government area offices, or designated registration centres to complete the process in person.

The commission also stated that all registration centres would remain open daily, including weekends, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. until the exercise ends.

“You can complete your voter registration online from start to finish via http://cvr.inecnigeria.org. If you need assistance, visit any INEC State Office, LGA Office, or designated registration centre to complete your registration in person,” the commission added.

The CVR exercise is part of INEC’s preparations for the 2027 general elections. It enables eligible Nigerians and those seeking to update their voter information to be included in the national register of voters.

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Controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has questioned why no government official has visited Boko Haram terrorists and bandits to negotiate an end to their violence, the way past leaders engaged Niger Delta militants.

He made the comparison in a Facebook post on Saturday, recalling how former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo both visited militants in the creeks to broker peace.

Gumi noted that both leaders, at different times, went into the creeks to meet militants and returned with programmes designed to end militancy in the region.

“The former President Jonathan visited Delta militants in the creeks, so also the former Vice President Osinbajo. They all came up with a program to tame the militants,” he wrote.

The cleric then asked who would extend similar engagement to Boko Haram and bandits terrorising parts of northern Nigeria without facing public backlash.

“Who is going to visit BH and Bandits to tame them without fools castigating them?” he asked.

Gumi has for years positioned himself as an advocate for dialogue with armed groups in the North-West and North-East, repeatedly visiting bandit camps in Zamfara and other states to hear their grievances.

He has consistently argued that negotiation, rather than military force, worked to end militancy in the Niger Delta and should be replicated in the North.

The cleric’s interventions have drawn both support and criticism. While some Nigerians accuse him of legitimising armed groups responsible for kidnapping, killings and cattle rustling, others credit his engagements with securing the release of kidnap victims.

The retired military officer has repeatedly denied backing terrorism, insisting his advocacy is aimed solely at ending the bloodshed through dialogue and rehabilitation.

The Niger Delta amnesty programme, launched in 2009 under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and sustained by Jonathan, saw thousands of militants disarmed in exchange for training, stipends and reintegration support. The programme significantly reduced attacks on oil infrastructure in the region.

Jonathan first waded into the Niger Delta crisis in 2007 as vice-president, entering the creeks without an armed detail to meet ex-militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as _Tompolo_, in Warri, Delta State.

He later said the meeting laid the groundwork for the amnesty programme granted to militants, which remains in place today.

Osinbajo similarly toured Niger Delta communities as acting president in 2017, engaging militants and traditional leaders directly. 

He justified the outreach by arguing that those in the creeks were citizens with genuine grievances, not merely security threats.