By Chimezie Godfrey
Nigeria’s Armed Forces have dealt a crushing blow to terrorists and criminal gangs nationwide, killing 201 insurgents, arresting 284 suspects, and rescuing 188 kidnapped victims in a wave of coordinated operations in April 2026.
In what military authorities described as one of the most decisive operational periods in recent months, troops also recorded the surrender of 10 terrorists, dismantled two illegal oil refining sites, and recovered 101,443 litres of stolen crude and refined petroleum products.
Revealing the figures in a comprehensive monthly briefing, Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, said the Armed Forces had taken the battle deep into terrorist enclaves, dismantling networks and restoring confidence in troubled communities.
“These outcomes are not abstract achievements; behind every rescued victim is a family made whole, and behind every destroyed enclave is a community reclaimed,” Onoja said.
The North-East theatre under Operation HADIN KAI emerged as the epicentre of intense combat, with troops killing 136 terrorists, arresting 114 suspects, rescuing 18 captives, and forcing nine insurgents to surrender.
In the North-West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA troops neutralised 20 terrorists, arrested 32 suspects, and rescued 70 victims, including worshippers and vulnerable civilians abducted from rural communities.
Operation SAVANNAH SHIELD in the North-Central recorded 21 terrorists killed, 17 suspects arrested, and 10 victims rescued, while Operation ENDURING PEACE delivered 18 terrorists neutralised, 48 suspects arrested, and 53 rescued victims.
Troops under Operation WHIRL STROKE also intensified operations in Benue, Kogi, and Nasarawa, killing 14 terrorists, arresting 40 suspects, and rescuing 35 victims, including children and passengers abducted in violent attacks.
In the oil-rich South-South, Operation DELTA SAFE struck at economic saboteurs, arresting 17 suspects, dismantling two illegal refining sites, and recovering over 101,000 litres of stolen petroleum products, dealing a major blow to crude oil theft networks.
Similarly, in the South-East, Operation UDO KA troops neutralised three terrorists, arrested 16 suspects, and rescued two victims, while dismantling key logistics and operational structures of IPOB/ESN elements.
Military authorities also confirmed the recovery of significant caches of arms and ammunition, including assault rifles, machine guns, grenades, and IED-making materials across the theatres.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, praised troops for their gallantry and sacrifice, urging them to remain resolute.
“No criminal or terrorist organisation, regardless of its ambition, is beyond the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” the statement added.
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