Troops Nab 9 Suspected Terrorist Collaborators in Yobe, Rescue 6 Hostages in Plateau
Troops conducting security operations in Yobe and Plateau states have arrested nine suspected terrorist collaborators and rescued six kidnapped victims in separate operations, security sources said.
In Yobe State, troops of the 233 Tank Battalion arrested nine suspected members of an alleged terrorist collaboration network during a covert operation in Damaturu, the state capital.
The operation was conducted at about 11:20 p.m. on October 5, 2026, following intelligence on the activities of a suspected terrorist collaboration network operating within the metropolis.
According to security sources, the troops apprehended the alleged leader of the network alongside eight other members during the operation.
Items recovered from the suspects included a vehicle, 10 mobile phones, seven ATM cards, seven caps, two cartons of dried fish and ₦376,400 in cash.
The suspects and recovered items were subsequently handed over to Headquarters Sector 2, Operation Hadin Kai, for further investigation and necessary action.
The arrests are expected to assist security agencies in establishing the activities of the alleged network, identifying its contacts and determining possible links with terrorist elements operating in the North-East.
Meanwhile, in Plateau State, troops of Sector 2, Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP) rescued six kidnapped victims during separate encounters with suspected terrorists in Wase Local Government Area.
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In the first incident, troops deployed at Kukawa responded at about noon on October 6 to information about the movement of suspected terrorists towards Wanka Village.
The intervention forced the suspected terrorists to flee on motorcycles, while troops conducting an exploitation of the area rescued two victims who had been abandoned by their captors.
The victims were identified as Muhammed Jibo, 14, and Muhammed Yahaya, 12. They told troops that they had been kidnapped on September 6 while travelling to meet their father at a farm in Dadin Kowa Village, Kanam Local Government Area.
In a separate operation at about 11 a.m. the same day, troops deployed at Yuli on a fighting patrol encountered suspected terrorists on the outskirts of Yuli Village in Wase LGA.
The suspected terrorists reportedly abandoned four kidnapped victims and fled into the forest following the troops’ intervention.
The rescued victims were identified as Yakubu Yahaya, 25; Yahuza Dapji, 22; Yahaya Jibo, 20; and Sani Abubakar, 18, all from Dadin Kowa Village in Kanam LGA.
The four victims were subsequently handed over to the Village Head of Yuli for further necessary action.
The operations form part of ongoing efforts by security forces to disrupt terrorist and criminal networks, rescue kidnapped persons and protect communities across the affected areas.
Troops of Operation Enduring Peace have continued offensive operations and routine patrols across their Joint Operations Area, with a focus on safeguarding communities, schools and critical national infrastructure.
By PRNigeria
