The Nigerian Army has recorded fresh operational successes against terrorists and kidnappers in Niger State, rescuing 16 abducted persons and recovering weapons, ammunition and logistics items.

Troops of 18 Brigade conducted the operation on November 5 following intelligence on the movement of suspected terrorists from Mashegu towards Rijiyan Nagwamatse in Kontagora Local Government Area. During an ambush, the troops engaged the criminals, neutralising an unconfirmed number and freeing the 16 victims.

Items recovered include two AK-47 rifles, seven magazines, three RPG bombs, 33 motorcycles, assorted ammunition and more than four million naira in cash.

In a separate operation, troops intercepted terrorists moving from Kebbi State into Niger State, forcing them to retreat into the forest.

The rescued victims received first aid and were handed over to the relevant authorities for reunification with their families. The Commander of 18 Brigade commended the troops for their gallantry and urged them to sustain the offensive against criminal elements.

The Army said the successes highlight its growing operational capacity and commitment to restoring security across affected communities.

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Faisal Abdulrasheed Maina, the fugitive son of former Pension Reform Task Team chairman Abdulrasheed Maina, and handed him over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Security sources said Faisal, who had been on the run since 2020, was trailed and apprehended by DSS operatives in the Karsana area of Abuja after intelligence indicated he had secretly returned to the country.

Faisal was earlier prosecuted by the EFCC on a three-count charge of money laundering and conspiracy. He jumped bail and fled the country. His trial continued in his absence, and in 2021 Justice Okon Abang convicted and sentenced him to 14 years’ imprisonment.

The court ordered that he be arrested wherever found in Nigeria and remanded in a correctional centre to serve his sentence. It also directed that, if located abroad, the Federal Government should take lawful steps to secure his extradition.

A source said the handover to the EFCC would facilitate enforcement of the court’s judgment and ensure Faisal serves his prison term.

Three others escape with gunshot injuries…..

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and the police have arrested five suspected members of a criminal gang allegedly responsible for the abduction of 20 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State.

The suspects were apprehended during a series of intelligence-led operations carried out between October 10 and 14 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State. Three other suspects escaped during the raids with varying degrees of gunshot injuries.

The 20 corps members were abducted by armed men along the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway in Imo State on October 1, 2026 — Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day — while travelling to their orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. They were rescued on October 7 during a joint security operation at Amakohia Ubi Village.

Security sources described the latest arrests as a major breakthrough in the effort to dismantle the network behind the abduction and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“This is a huge sigh of relief. Security agencies have been on a sustained manhunt for the abductors, and we are elated that they have been captured. We strongly believe they will be charged to court by the DSS and the corps members will get justice,” a security source said.