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The Joint Task Force, Operation Fansan Yamma, said on Saturday that its troops conducting offensive operations in Zamfara State had neutralised several terrorists, recovered weapons and intercepted a suspected explosives courier with 180 units of 20mm Super Power explosives.

The Media Information Officer of the operation, Lt. Col. Aliyu Danja, disclosed this in a statement on operations conducted on August 14, 2026.

Danja said troops of Sector 2, while conducting an offensive clearance operation in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area of Zamfara, encountered terrorists around Garin Kaso and engaged them in a fierce firefight.

He said two terrorists were confirmed neutralised during the initial encounter, while troops recovered two rifles, two magazines, nine rounds of ammunition and two motorcycles.

According to him, another group of terrorists subsequently attempted to ambush the troops from concealed positions.

“Troops responded decisively, fought through the ambush and inflicted further casualties on the terrorists, forcing surviving elements to flee the area,” he said.

Danja said the exact number of additional casualties among the terrorists could not be immediately confirmed.

He, however, said reports from communities in the area indicated that several terrorists with apparent gunshot wounds, alongside the bodies of their neutralised colleagues, were evacuated by the fleeing elements.

In a separate operation on the same day, troops of Sector 2 intercepted a suspected arms and explosives courier during routine snap checks on vehicles.

The suspect, identified as 57-year-old Sani Umar, was allegedly conveying 180 units of 20mm Super Power explosives from Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara to suspected terrorist elements operating in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Danja said the vehicle was searched, leading to the recovery of the explosives.

He added that the suspect, vehicle and recovered materials had been taken into custody for further investigation.

The Theatre Command said the operations underscored the sustained offensive posture of Operation Fansan Yamma, particularly its efforts to simultaneously attack terrorist enclaves and disrupt logistics networks supplying weapons, explosives and other resources to criminal elements.

The command reaffirmed its resolve to sustain ongoing operations and deny terrorists and other criminal elements freedom of action across the North-West.

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Suspected bandits abducted about 14 passengers travelling from Enugu State to Abuja along the Ankpechi–Omutele axis of Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State on Thursday night.

The gunmen reportedly ambushed the commercial bus conveying the passengers, forced them into the bush and abandoned the vehicle on the road.

Confirming the incident, the Benue State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Orchia Peter Aondongu, said operatives had rescued five of the victims, including a four-year-old boy.

The police said nine other victims remained in the custody of their abductors, adding that the command launched a coordinated rescue operation in the early hours of Friday to secure the release of those still in captivity.

He said the operation involved an exchange of gunfire between security operatives and the suspected kidnappers, resulting in the rescue of five victims.

The police spokesperson explained that one of the rescued victims sustained a gunshot wound during the operation and was immediately taken to a medical facility in Otukpo, where the victim is receiving treatment.
Aondongu said operatives of the command, working alongside other security agencies, were intensifying efforts to rescue the remaining nine victims safely, assuring that the operation was being conducted with caution, with the safety of the abducted passengers as the primary objective.

The Benue State Commissioner of Police, CP Cletus Nwadiogbu, acknowledged the concerns of the victims’ families and members of the public, saying that concerted efforts were underway to secure the safe release of those still in captivity.

The command urged residents of the affected communities and the general public to remain calm and vigilant and provide the police with credible information that could assist the ongoing rescue operation and help prevent similar incidents.

The police assured the public that they would continue to provide updates as developments unfold.

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The Kwara State Police Command has arrested a suspected kidnapper, identified as Muhamodu Sanni, while he was allegedly attempting to withdraw ransom money at a Point-of-Sale (POS) terminal.

The arrest, confirmed in a statement on Wednesday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, deals a significant blow to a criminal syndicate operating around the Obudu/Woru axis of Ilorin East Local Government Area.

According to the police command, the breakthrough was the result of a meticulously planned, intelligence-led operation triggered by the armed abduction of three individuals during an invasion of Obudu Village on July 28, 2026.

“The sustained offensive of the Kwara State Police Command against kidnapping has recorded another significant breakthrough, as intelligence-led operations successfully penetrated the support structure of a kidnapping syndicate operating around Obudu/Woru axis of Ilorin East Local Government Area, culminating in the arrest of Muhamodu Sanni while allegedly attempting to cash out ransom proceeds linked to a recent abduction,” the statement said.

“The breakthrough followed the activation of the command’s intelligence and tactical architecture after three persons were abducted during an armed invasion of Obudu village on 28th July, 2026.”

Rather than confining their investigation to the immediate scene of the attack, detectives adopted a broader strategy, widening their scope to track the communication, logistics, and, crucially, the financial channels sustaining the kidnappers’ operations.

The tactical shift paid off when detectives intercepted intelligence surrounding a pending ransom transaction, leading them directly to Sanni as he allegedly attempted to cash out the proceeds at a POS location.

During interrogation, Sanni reportedly cooperated with investigators, making disclosures about his role in the ransom collection process.

He also reportedly provided actionable intelligence on other members of the syndicate, specifically identifying two accomplices named Aminu and Umar.

Ejire-Adeyemi noted that these disclosures have given detectives critical operational leads that are currently being “discreetly exploited” to dismantle the rest of the network.

Reaffirming the command’s commitment to eradicating violent crime, the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, assured residents that the police remain operationally positioned to disrupt criminal networks and deny them any freedom of action.

He also urged the public to continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible information.