The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) says troops conducting internal security operations across Nigeria killed 662 terrorists and other criminal elements during the second quarter of 2026.
The military also arrested 1,084 suspects, rescued 951 kidnapped victims and destroyed 12 illegal refining sites between April and June, according to the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Michael Onoja.
Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, Onoja said security forces also recovered more than 464,268 litres of stolen petroleum products, including crude oil, Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) and Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
He attributed the operational gains to sustained joint military operations, intelligence-led missions, close air support and coordinated actions across different theatres of operation.
Providing a breakdown of activities in June, Onoja said troops killed 129 terrorists and other criminal elements, arrested 486 suspects and rescued 542 kidnapped victims. He added that 11 insurgents surrendered during the month.
According to him, troops of Joint Task Force Northeast, Operation Hadin Kai, killed 76 terrorists, arrested 97 suspects and rescued 465 kidnapped victims in June. The operation also recorded the surrender of 11 insurgents and their family members.
Onoja said one of the major operations was carried out on June 6 when troops launched a multi-axis assault in the Mandara Mountains of Borno State, leading to the rescue of 360 civilians, mostly women and children, who had been held captive since they were abducted from Ngoshe on March 3.
He added that troops also rescued 53 civilians and recovered eight hijacked vehicles along the Buratai-Kamuya Road. Other operations disrupted terrorist logistics networks, led to the arrest of suspected collaborators and secured the rescue of seven abducted students and a teacher after an attack on Government Secondary School, Lassa, in Askira Uba Local Government Area.
For the quarter, Onoja said Operation Hadin Kai killed 484 terrorists, arrested 370 suspects, rescued 595 kidnapped victims and received the surrender of 38 insurgents and their family members.
In the Northwest, troops under Operation Fansan Yamma killed 33 terrorists, arrested 165 suspects and rescued 51 kidnapped victims in June. The operations also resulted in the recovery of firearms, motorcycles, improvised explosive device (IED) materials and large quantities of ammunition.
Onoja said notable achievements included the arrest of a suspected terrorist kingpin at Shinkafi Market, the interception of more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, the arrest of suspected terrorist collaborators arriving on a pilgrim flight and the seizure of 69 jerry cans of fuel allegedly being transported to terrorist groups.
He said the Armed Forces would sustain offensive operations, strengthen intelligence gathering and deepen collaboration with other security agencies to address security threats and restore peace across the country.
