Troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Savannah Shield (OPSS) have arrested five suspected bandits and terrorist informants during separate operations in Niger State. The arrest was announced by Captain Jamilu Muhammed Yahaya, Acting Media Information Officer for the Headquarters Joint Task Force (North Central) Operation Savannah Shield, in a statement released on Sunday, June 7, 2026.
According to the statement, the operations led to the recovery of communication devices, cash, and other items linking the suspects to criminal activities. During a routine fighting patrol along the Doro axis in Wawa, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, troops apprehended three suspected informants on June 6, 2026. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were members of a bandit group operating in Duru, near the fringes of Kainji Lake National Park.
Items recovered from the suspects included two Tecno keypad phones, one MP3 device containing recorded propaganda and inciting messages claiming the abduction of an individual in Kaduna State and the collection of a ransom of sixty million Naira (N60,000,000.00), as well as a cash sum of one hundred and thirteen thousand, four hundred Naira (N113,400.00). The suspects and recovered exhibits are currently in custody for further investigation, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of the criminal network.
In a similar operation, troops of the 221 Battalion under JTF-NC OPSS, while on routine patrol along the cantonment perimeter fence, apprehended two suspected bandit and terrorist informants. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects had been deployed as reconnaissance elements to gather information on the cantonment. Further examination of one of the suspects' mobile phones led to the discovery of a photograph showing a beheaded individual, dated May 2, 2026, indicating possible links to terrorist activities.
Items recovered from the suspects included one Android mobile phone, one Tecno keypad phone, one motorcycle, and a cash sum of eighty-six thousand, one hundred Naira (N86,100.00). The suspects and recovered exhibits remain in custody for further investigation.
The successful arrests underscore the commitment of troops of Operation Savannah Shield to dismantling criminal and terrorist support networks across the Joint Operations Area. The Task Force remains resolute in its mandate to deny criminal elements freedom of action and sustain pressure on all threats to peace and security within the region.
