The Operation code named EGWUA A TITE II in Kogi State commenced on the 1st of September 2025. 

In a statement by Lieutenant Hassan Abdullahi, Acting Assistant Director Army Public Relations 12 Brigade, Nigerian Army Lokoja, says troops of 126 Battalion, led by the Commanding Officer and in conjunction with Other Hybrid Forces (OHF) came in contact with bandits in Tunga general area. During the fire fight two bandits were neutralized.

In an effort to boost troops’ morale, the commander of 12 Brigade Nigerian Army and Force Commander Operation Accord III Brigadier General Kasim Umar Sidi, led further exploitation of the area, which destroyed several bandits’ settlements while at the same time dominating the general area with patrols and ambush operations to clear the area.

On 2 September 2025, acting on credible intelligence, troops with close air support from 405 Helicopter Combat Training Group, launched an air combat mission to Ankomi, engaging the fleeing bandits on sight and neutralising scores.

In a related development, troops of 126 Battalion, led by the Commanding Officer, on 3 September 2025 conducted clearance operations in Aleke, Ungwan Soni, and Ungwan Nyaba communities.

In the operation, one Mr. Pabo Suleiman and his two children were successfully rescued. 

The rescued victims had since been reunited with their family members. Five locally made dane guns were recovered during the clearance operation.

At another operation during a fierce gun battle on the 5th of September between the troop and the bandits at their hideout near Tunga, from intelligence, Kachalla Bala, a notorious bandit commander, and five others were eliminated. 

On the same day, troops also conducted a successful ambush operation along a suspected bandits’ main supply route at Agbede–Adankoo Bridge (Mosalanci Boka), where a bandit logistics courier was neutralised. Items recovered during the ambush included one motorcycle, two mobile phones, and one AK-47 magazine loaded with 20 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition.

NTA

Dr Makut Macham, Director of Press and Public Affairs to Governor Simon Lalong, announced this in a statement on Wednesday.

The curfew was imposed on the local government following tensions sparked by the attack on Yelwa Zangam – a village in Zangam District of the state.

Governor Lalong said the 24-hour curfew will come into force from 4pm on August 25 until further notice.

“The proactive decision became necessary following imminent threat to lives and properties within the local government area and the need to forestall the breakdown of law and order,” the statement said.

“It will also enable security agencies deploy appropriately to maintain security as the search for the attackers of the villagers continues.

“The governor has appealed to the citizens of Jos North to cooperate with the government by abiding by the 24-hour curfew commencing 4pm, 25th August 2021, as security agencies have been mandated to ensure that those who violate the curfew are arrested.”

Over 30 Killed?

Speaking, Governor Lalong stated that the 6pm to 6am curfew in Jos South and Bassa LGAs still remains in place until further notice.

This will cover every member of the LGA except for those on essential duties such as health personnel, journalists, fire service and paramilitary and others, have been exempted from the curfew. Such persons were, however, asked to ensure they could provide their means of identification at all times.

“The Governor is calling for calm as he is seriously grieved by the attacks,” the statement added.

“He again sympathises with the victims but wants them to show restraint and allow the government to handle the matter to disallow hoodlums from taking advantage of the unfortunate situation to cause mayhem and destruction in the state.”

It was earlier reported of the attack on the village which left several people killed and many others injured on Tuesday night.

On a visit to the Plateau State Specialist Hospital on Wednesday where the victims were rushed to after the incident, it was discovered that no fewer than 16 bodies were moved to the morgue while others were receiving treatment.

According to eyewitnesses the corpses at the morgue do not include over 15 villagers whose bodies have yet to be evacuated after being burnt in their houses. Authorities have yet to give the actual figure of those who lost their lives to the incident.

This comment was made by the Ex Navy Commodore during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

“They [government] know. Of course, it is in the news,” Commodore Olawunmi said.

“In April this year, the government said they had arrested 400 Bureau De Change (BDCs)-related people that were sponsoring Boko Haram. They told us.”

Its been recorded that the presidency had earlier said it would publish names of those behind the Boko Haram war with the development generating heated controversy across the country.

But months have gone by and the long-waited list is yet to be made public, a situation the ex-military officer says does not bode well for the government who he accused of shielding criminals.

“Try them, we know them. Why can’t this government, if not that they are partisan, bring those people out for trial?” he asked, corroborating calls from several quarters for the Federal Government to make good its promise.

In his statements he stressed that the government has developed cold feet in fighting the insurgency because some of those backing Boko Haram are now top-ranking government officials.

“I can’t come on air and start mentioning names of people that are presently in government that the boys we arrested mentioned,” he said, referencing his time as a member of the military intelligence team in 2017.

“Some of them are governors now. Some of them are in the Senate. Some of them are in Aso Rock.”

‘We Can’t Use Same Strategy’

There has been continued debate on insurgency by Olawunmi’s remark is the latest in the ceaseless debates about how Nigeria can end the Boko Haram war which has led to thousands of deaths and displaced millions especially in the northeast and some neighbouring countries.

While the military says the ongoing onslaught against the terrorists has yielded results and the criminals surrendering in ‘droves’, calls for granting amnesty to some of the “repentant” members of the sect have also divided opinions among stakeholders.

Advocates, citing the amnesty programme of the ex-President Musa Yar’Adua to ex-Niger Delta militants, say it will bring peace to the troubled North-East.  But Olawunmi has faulted the move.

“The challenge we have in this country cannot be solved the same way we solved the problem of the Niger Delta. I told them we can’t use the same strategy for Boko Haram,” he argued, citing when he served a security and intelligence brief at the Defence Headquarters between 2016 and 2017.

According to him, fishing out the sponsors is a major way of ending the war.

“The centre of gravity of Boko Haram and insurgency in Nigeria are the sponsors of that programme,” the professor of Intelligence and Global Security Studies, added.

Tribune Online learnt that the incident occurred at about 6:45 p.m. on Monday, in Pyem district of Mangu council area when armed bandits in their large number stormed the district to perform all sorts of atrocities including kidnapping and cattle rustling.

It was learnt that men of the Inspector General of Police Intelligent Response Team who arrived at the scene engaged the bandits in a gun duel that lasted for about two hours, six of the bandits were killed in the process while Danzakara and a local vigilante were also gunned down by the bandits.

However, the State Police Command in a statement signed by the State Police Public Relations, ASP Gabriel Ogaba, has confirmed the incident adding that the command received credible information about the activity of a notorious syndicate of gunrunners at Kwoi Village, in Mangu Local Government Area of the state.

“On receipt of the information, the IGP’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT) based in Mangu, police operatives attached to Mangu Division, Operation Safe Haven and local vigilante were mobilised and swiftly raced to the area.

“On sighting the team, the hoodlums engaged them in a gun duel. But because of the tactical operational capability and superior gunfire of the operatives, six of the hoodlums were neutralised while others fled with various degrees of bullets wounds.”

The statement further pointed out that exhibits recovered from them include three AK 47 Rifles with Breach Nos 868, 106076 and 123487.

“Regrettably, one Insp. Abdulrahaman Isah, who is the Commander IGP’s Intelligence Response Team based in Mangu and one Hassan Mohammed a local vigilante gallantly paid the supreme price,” he said.

It added that the command has commenced investigation while efforts are being intensified to arrest other fleeing members of the syndicate.

Source: Nigerian Tribune

The Gov. made the claim in a chat with correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday.

Zulum also said there were a total of 2,600 surrendered insurgents now in custody, stressing that not all of them are criminals.

He stated clear that many of the victims are women and young children who had been trained to handle AK47, Zulum assured that they would be subjected to the extant laws of the country.

Speaking, he added that no law prescribed killing of surrendered insurgents, adding that they would be trained for the purpose of reintegration.

He also assured that victims of the insurgency would be taken care of. Speaking on the need to address the issue of insurgency holistically, the governor said he fully supported the surrendering of the insurgents and the effort to resettle them.

When asked about his mission in the Presidential Villa, he said: “I came to brief the President on the ongoing surrender by insurgents. I think, to me, and to the greater majority of people of Borno State, this is a very good development.

“In the last 12 years, thousands of lives were lost and people have completely lost their means of livelihood. We have a total number of over 50,000 orphans and widows. These are official figures, the unofficial figures are more than this, and we were able to cultivate not more than three per cent of our total arable land because of the insurgency. Right now, the whereabouts of not less than 10 per cent of people of Borno State is not known to all of us, at all.

“This is a very serious matter and I think the report of the surrendering of the insurgents, to me in particular and to the greater people of Borno State, is a very welcome development,” he said.

It said if this was not done, there is the possibility for insurgents to pass from generation to generation, because of the number of children that had been trained for it.

“Unless we want to continue with an endless war, I see no reason why we shall reject those that are willing to surrender.

“I came to brief Mr President on this matter and Mr President has given my humble-self and the people of Borno State the assurances of his continued support in this direction so that this matter can be resolved amicably,” he said.

Speaking further, he said having been on the issue for the last 11 to 12 years and as the pioneer commissioner for reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement in Borno State, he was attacked for more than 40 to 50 times.

“I know the magnitude of this problem. More than 100,000 people were killed, I’m telling you. We have more than 100,000 orphans now, we have more than 100,000 widows now.

“Therefore I’m in total support of this ongoing surrender by the insurgents. We support them and those that have surrendered shall be dealt with according to the extant rules and regulations,” he said.

The Gov. denied that the insurgents were being given money to surrender saying: “Government of Borno State is never contemplating giving a dime for those insurgents in the bush to surrender.”

On the number of those who had surrendered so far, the governor stated: “Right now, we have about 2,600 in custody. But mind you, this number is inclusive of their children and their wives, including their families.”

Zulum said government was working on the details of the surrender programme, denying that it had negative impact on the war against insurgency.