Troops recover cache of 12.7mn ammunition, 13 rifles, arrest 13

By : Johnson  Eyiangho

Date: 4 January 2026 2:38pm WAT

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Recovered cache of 1,270 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition

Recovered cache of 1,270 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition

Troops across various theatres of operations recorded major gains over the weekend, recovering a large cache of 1,270 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition warheads and 13 pump-action rifles, arresting 13 suspects.

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) recovered the cache of ammunition warheads in the Bulumkutu Railway general area of Maiduguri, Borno State.

The Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Lt.-Col. Sani Uba, said the recovery followed sustained follow-up actions after a recent cordon-and-search operation.

Uba also said it was based on actionable intelligence aimed at denying criminal and terrorist elements freedom of action, particularly in the aftermath of multiple suicide bombers neutralised or apprehended within the past week. “At about 3:00 p.m. on 2 January 2026, troops of OPHK received a distress call reporting the discovery of suspicious metallic objects concealed within a drainage channel in the Bulumkutu Railway area.

“Troops, alongside Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams, immediately mobilised to the location to secure the environment and assess the threat.

“A thorough search of the area led to the recovery of 1,270 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition warheads, including some live 12.7mm rounds, as well as power banks concealed inside the drainage channel,” Uba said. He said preliminary safety measures were promptly taken to secure the site, while efforts are ongoing to drain the channel to determine the presence of any additional dangerous items.

He said troops, in collaboration with the Police and other security agencies, were dominating the general area to ensure the safety of residents, protect critical infrastructure, and prevent any attempt by criminal or terrorist elements to retrieve the recovered items.

“No casualties or untoward incidents were recorded during the operation. The general security situation in the area remains calm, with troops maintaining heightened vigilance in view of the dynamic threat environment.” In the South-South region, troops of Operation Delta Safe busted a criminal gang, arrested 13 suspects, and recovered 13 pump-action rifles in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State.

The Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 63 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Capt. Iliyasu Bawa-Rijau, named the suspects as Nwaokonta Elvis, Obi Victor Woke, Uba Elijah, Nonso Ibiora, Dumbili Ezefili, Ndefu Ifeanyi, Ozemene Richard, Broderick Patrick, Nwaokonta Afamefile, Kelvin Ejiani, Victor Ogochukwu, Ogadi Kelvin Ikechukwu, and Ndibuisi Obiogonna (Native Doctor).

In the North-Central region, troops of 3 Division/Joint Task Force – Operation Enduring Peace foiled a bandits’ attack, neutralised five, and recovered two AK-47 rifle magazines containing 11 rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition, two machetes, and one knife in Plateau State.

Capt. Joshua John, the Acting Media Information Officer, OPEP, explained that on 1 January 2026, the troops encountered the bandits who had mobilised from Dutsen Zaki towards Odare Forest in Wase LGA of Plateau State with the intent of attacking adjoining communities in the area.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) decisively hit insurgents’ identified hideouts, movement routes, and assembly areas across the Northwest and Northeast zones between 1 and 2 January, denying them safe havens. “In the Northeast theatre, successive precision strikes were delivered against deeply concealed terrorist enclaves at Abirma and Chiralia within the Timbuktu Triangle, following persistent surveillance that confirmed active facilities linked to improvised explosive device production and attack planning.

“The strikes resulted in the complete destruction of targeted structures, with multiple secondary explosions observed, clear indicators of the elimination of explosive stockpiles and critical logistics.

“Follow-on interdiction operations at Guva in the Mandara Mountains further dismantled terrorist storage and coordination nodes, severely degrading their ability to regroup, resupply, or mount attacks during the festive period and beyond,” NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said in a statement.

Ejodame said the campaign was simultaneously extended into the Northwest with a decisive air interdiction mission around Karaduwa Giginya Na in the Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State.

He said terrorist elements’ movement activities were tracked while moving in large motorcycle convoys and engaged at a forested convergence point.

According to Ejodame, post-strike assessments and corroborated local feedback confirmed the neutralisation of several terrorists, the destruction of multiple motorcycles, and the elimination of assorted weapons.

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