As part of efforts to rid the state of insurgents, troops of Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Savannah Shield (OPSS) have apprehended five suspected bandits’/terrorists’ informants in separate operations conducted in Niger State.
Captain Jamilu Muhammed Yahaya, Acting Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North Central) Operation Savannah Shield, in a statement, said troops also recovered communication devices, cash, and other items linking the suspects to criminal activities.
In another development, troops, while conducting a routine fighting patrol along the Doro axis in Wawa, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, apprehended three suspected bandits’/terrorists’ informants on 6 June 2026, adding that investigations showed that the suspects were members of a bandit group operating in Duru, along the fringes of Kainji Lake National Park.
Troops also recovered 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 (₦60,000,000.00), as well as a cash sum of One Hundred and Thirteen Thousand, Four Hundred Naira (₦113,400.00).
It said the suspects and recovered exhibits are currently in custody for further investigation, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of the criminal network.
Similarly, troops of 221 Battalion under JTF-NC OPSS, while on routine patrol along the cantonment perimeter fence, apprehended two suspected bandits’/terrorists’ informants, and following investigations, it was discovered 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 2 May 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 (₦86,100.00), adding that the suspects have been taken into custody.
