Major Blow to ISWAP as Troops Neutralise Over 50 Terrorists in North-East

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have intensified counterterrorism operations in the North-East, killing more than 50 terrorists, including a senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commander, and arresting suspected collaborators in ongoing clearance operations across Borno State.

A detailed operational report made available to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday said the successes followed sustained ground assaults and precision airstrikes targeting terrorist hideouts around Kirta and Arina Ciki.

The report confirmed that the air interdiction missions led to the elimination of several insurgent commanders, including Khalifa Umar, identified as a member of the ISWAP Shura Council, which forms part of the group’s leadership and decision-making structure.

Military sources said the coordinated strikes disrupted terrorist regrouping efforts in the Lake Chad region and forced surviving fighters to abandon fortified island enclaves, moving toward the mainland under sustained military pressure.

The report added that the ongoing offensive combines intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) with precision airstrikes and coordinated ground operations aimed at dismantling insurgent command structures and logistics networks across Borno State.

Troops also conducted aggressive fighting patrols along the Kukawa axis, engaging fleeing terrorist scouts and recovering ammunition during clearance operations in the area.

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Security analysts note that the Lake Chad Basin and Sambisa Forest remain key strongholds for ISWAP and Boko Haram factions, despite years of sustained military pressure and repeated clearance operations.

In separate operations across Maiduguri and surrounding communities, troops arrested three suspected ISWAP logistics suppliers and informants believed to be supporting insurgent movements and supply chains in the region.

In a related development, a deserter soldier who allegedly absconded with his service rifle was also arrested after being linked to criminal activities and suspected collaboration with terrorist elements.

Items recovered from the suspects included a rifle with magazines, a vehicle, about 30 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), and other materials believed to support terrorist logistics and operations.

Military authorities said sustained air and ground offensives have significantly weakened insurgent control over island enclaves in the Lake Chad region, forcing fighters to break into smaller, less coordinated cells.

They added that this shift has increased insurgents’ vulnerability to continuous pursuit operations, intelligence-led raids, and targeted airstrikes by Nigerian forces.

Officials explained that the evolving strategy under Operation Hadin Kai is focused on dismantling leadership structures, disrupting supply chains, and denying terrorists freedom of movement across Borno State and adjoining border corridors.

The North-East theatre remains the epicentre of Nigeria’s long-running counterterrorism campaign under Operation Hadin Kai, which continues to conduct coordinated operations against ISWAP and Boko Haram factions across the region.

Recent operations have increasingly relied on joint air-ground coordination to target high-value leaders, destroy logistics hubs, and interdict movement routes used by insurgents operating in remote forest and lake regions.

Military authorities reiterated that operations will be sustained to further degrade terrorist capabilities, restore stability, and support the gradual return of normalcy to communities affected by insurgency in the North-East.

Major Blow to ISWAP as Troops Neutralise Over 50 Terrorists in North-East

Ekiti Community Protests as 16 Worshippers Remain Captive 36 Days After N10.5m Ransom Payment

Residents of Eda-Oniyo Community in Ilejemeje Local Government Area of Ekiti State staged a peaceful protest on Wednesday, calling for urgent intervention from the state and federal governments, as well as security agencies, over the continued captivity of 16 kidnapped residents despite the payment of a N10.5 million ransom. The protesters, comprising community leaders, relatives of the victims, women, and youths, said the abductees had remained in captivity for 36 days, with the kidnappers now demanding an additional N50 million for their release.

Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “President Tinubu, save us, we are perishing,” “FG, Ekiti State Government, save our loved ones from kidnappers,” and “We reject terrorism, banditry and kidnapping in Eda Oniyo,” the demonstrators blocked major roads in the community, expressing profound frustration over what they described as government abandonment despite their sacrifices. Other placards read: “Eda-Oniyo as the Headquarters of Ilejemeje Local Government deserves a functional and befitting division police headquarters” and “Eda-Oniyo needs forest guards, military base as a border community.”

The victims were abducted on April 28, 2026, when suspected bandits attacked a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) during an evening service in the community. The attackers reportedly killed the presiding pastor, identified simply as Pastor Aregbe, and kidnapped 16 worshippers. According to residents, the kidnappers initially demanded a N1 billion ransom, which was later reduced to N150 million before being further reduced to N50 million.

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Speaking during the protest, a community leader, Ayodele Ajayi, said communication with the captives had continued intermittently, but efforts to secure their release had so far proved unsuccessful. “Our people have been in captivity for 36 days. We contributed what we could as a community and paid N10.5 million, but the kidnappers refused to release them. Instead, they are demanding more money,” he said. “There are 16 victims in total. Most of them are women, while two are young boys. We are pleading with governments at all levels to come to our aid and rescue our people.”

Ekiti Community Protests as 16 Worshippers Remain Captive

Another resident, Mrs. Bola Ajayi, made a heart-wrenching appeal to authorities, revealing the most vulnerable among those still held captive. “We have children as young as two and three years old and an elderly woman who is over 80 years old among those kidnapped. Families are suffering, and children keep asking for their mothers,” she said. “We are begging the federal, state, and local governments to help secure their release. Women are crying, children are crying, and the entire community is in pain.”

A community representative, Ayodele Oni, described the traumatic ordeal of delivering the ransom, alleging that community representatives traveled through parts of Kwara and Kogi states and trekked deep into forests before handing over the money. “We raised N10.5 million, supplied two bags of rice and several other items they requested, including fuel and cigarettes. Yet our people are still being held,” Oni said. “The process of giving them the ransom was a terrible experience. We traversed parts of Kwara and Kogi states and trekked deep into the bush. After collecting the money, they simply told us we would hear from them. Since then, they have continued making fresh demands.”

Oni added that the kidnappers had resumed contact with the community and were now insisting on N50 million. “Last night, we heard from them again. They are now insisting on N50 million despite everything we have already given them. Thirty-six days in the bush without proper shelter, bathing or medical care is unbearable. Our mothers, wives and children are suffering severe trauma,” he said.

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The community has also called for the establishment of a security post in Eda-Oniyo and a military base along the boundary between Ekiti and Kwara states, arguing that inadequate security presence has made the area vulnerable to attacks by armed groups. The protesters specifically demanded a functional divisional police headquarters, deployment of forest guards, and a military base as the community is a border area.

The Ekiti State House of Assembly has responded to the crisis, with lawmakers stating that both the state and federal governments are working “round the clock” to secure the release of the abducted persons. The lawmaker representing Ilejemeje Constituency, Iyabode Fakunle-Okieime, said the issue was raised on the floor of the house when it occurred and that a committee was constituted to address it. “That the abductees have not been rescued does not mean that the government is not doing anything about it. Ekiti State and the Federal Government are working assiduously to rescue them and security agencies mobilized to the area. All hands are on deck to ensure the safe rescue and return of the abductees,” she said.

Immediately after the abduction on April 28, the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Michael Falade, ordered a thorough investigation and a serious manhunt for the perpetrators. The police, in collaboration with the Nigerian Army, the Amotekun Corps, the Agro Marshal, vigilantes, and local hunters, commenced aggressive bush-combing operations to rescue the victims. However, 36 days later, the victims remain in captivity.

The protest in Eda-Oniyo comes amid growing concerns over rising cases of kidnapping across Nigeria. In a related development, the Ekiti State Police Command recently debunked a viral social media report claiming that a busload of passengers was kidnapped along the Aramoko-Ekiti road, describing the claim as false and a deliberate fabrication designed to create panic. The command warned that spreading false information is a criminal offence and that offenders will be prosecuted. Additionally, traditional rulers in Ekiti have renewed calls for a review of Nigeria’s anti-kidnapping laws and the establishment of state police, arguing that decentralized policing would provide states with stronger security architecture capable of responding effectively to local security threats.

As of press time, the 16 victims remain in captivity, now entering their 37th day since abduction. The community continues to wait anxiously for government intervention, with families holding onto hope that their loved ones—including toddlers and an octogenarian—will be safely returned home.

Ekiti Community Protests as 16 Worshippers Remain Captive 36 Days After N10.5m Ransom Payment

Owo Church Massacre: Court Sentences Four Terrorists to Death, Acquits One

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four men to death by hanging for their roles in the horrific Owo Catholic Church attack that claimed dozens of lives and left scores injured, bringing a major terrorism trial that has gripped the nation for nearly four years to a close.

Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment on Wednesday in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025, ruling that the prosecution successfully proved the allegations against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.

The four convicted men — Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25, Al Qasim Idris, 20, Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26, and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25 — were found guilty on a nine-count terrorism charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of the Federal Government.

The court subsequently sentenced all four defendants to death by hanging.

However, the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47, was discharged and acquitted after the court held that the prosecution failed to establish sufficient evidence linking him to the attack.

Justice Nwite held that the convicted men were principal members of a terrorist cell that operated in parts of Kogi and Ondo states. According to the court, evidence presented during the trial showed that the group held planning meetings in Kogi and Ondo states on May 30 and June 4, 2022, before carrying out the deadly attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owo, on June 5, 2022.

The court found that the attackers stormed the church during a Pentecost Sunday Mass armed with AK-47 rifles and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), opening fire on worshippers and detonating explosives inside the church premises. The attack resulted in the deaths of at least 41 worshippers, while more than 140 others sustained varying degrees of injuries. Many victims were women and children who had gathered for the church service when the assailants struck.

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The five defendants were arrested in August 2022 following extensive intelligence operations by security agencies. Investigators told the court that the suspects were tracked using geospatial network filtering technology, which helped isolate and analyse phone activities within the attack zone.

The prosecution presented substantial evidence during the trial, including confessional statements, digital forensic reports and electronic communications allegedly exchanged among the suspects before and after the attack. In total, the prosecution called 11 witnesses and tendered 23 exhibits to support its case.

One of the exhibits was a Tecno mobile phone recovered during investigations, which reportedly contained communications linking the defendants to the planning and execution of the attack.

Among the prosecution witnesses was a Catholic priest who gave a chilling account of the attack, describing how multiple explosives were detonated within the church during worship. Another eyewitness narrated how he survived by hiding inside a restroom with several children while gunfire and explosions erupted around the church building.

The testimonies painted a grim picture of one of the deadliest attacks on a place of worship in Nigeria’s recent history.

Lead prosecuting counsel, Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), urged the court to impose the maximum penalty prescribed by law, arguing that the magnitude of the killings and destruction warranted the full weight of justice. On the other hand, defence counsel, Abdullahi Mohammed, asked the court to acquit all five defendants, insisting that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

After reviewing the evidence and submissions from both parties, Justice Nwite ruled in favour of the prosecution and convicted the four defendants.

The Owo church massacre sparked widespread condemnation both within and outside Nigeria. The attack drew reactions from religious leaders, governments and international organisations across the world, including Pope Francis, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, the European Union and the United Kingdom government. The massacre shocked the nation and renewed calls for stronger measures to combat terrorism and violent extremism across Nigeria.

The judgment marks a significant milestone in the quest for justice for victims and survivors of the attack. For families who lost loved ones and those still living with the physical and emotional scars of the tragedy, the verdict represents a major legal victory in the fight against terrorism and impunity.

Although the convicted men retain the constitutional right to appeal the judgment, Wednesday’s verdict is being widely viewed as one of the most consequential terrorism convictions secured in Nigeria in recent years.

Owo Church Massacre: Court Sentences Four Terrorists to Death, Acquits One