The Defence Headquarters has disclosed that troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria neutralised 317 terrorists and other criminal elements during nationwide military operations carried out in May 2026.

Director of Defence Media Operations, Michael Onoja, revealed this during a press briefing on Tuesday, stating that the operations also led to the arrest of 314 suspects, the rescue of 221 kidnapped civilians, and the surrender of 18 terrorists.

According to him, the coordinated land, air and maritime offensives targeted terrorists, kidnappers, gunrunners, oil thieves and other criminal groups operating across different parts of the country.

Onoja disclosed that troops also recovered 93 arms, destroyed three illegal refining sites in the Niger Delta and seized 21,910 litres of assorted petroleum products linked to oil theft activities.

In the North-East, troops of Operation HADIN KAI neutralised 73 insurgents, arrested 159 suspects, rescued 112 civilians and recorded the surrender of 18 terrorists during operations across Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Taraba states.

He added that troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA in the North-West killed 24 terrorists, arrested 13 suspects and rescued 22 civilians in Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara states.

In the North-Central region, Operation SAVANNAH SHIELD neutralised two insurgents, arrested 12 suspects and rescued 24 civilians, while Operation ENDURING PEACE recorded nine neutralised terrorists, 36 arrests and 15 rescued victims.

Similarly, troops under Operation WHIRL STROKE killed six terrorists, arrested 20 suspects and rescued 13 civilians during operations across Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa and Taraba states.

In the South-South, Operation DELTA SAFE arrested 14 suspects, dismantled three illegal refining sites and recovered 21,910 litres of stolen petroleum products across Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta, Edo and Cross River states.

The Defence Headquarters also stated that troops of Operation UDO KA in the South-East neutralised three terrorists, arrested 60 suspects and rescued 18 kidnapped civilians during operations against criminal gangs and separatist elements.

The military further addressed the recent kidnapping incident in Oyo State, assuring Nigerians that reinforced security measures, including aerial surveillance and deployment of specialised troops, had already been activated to track down the perpetrators.

Onoja added that the Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, commended troops for their professionalism and urged Nigerians to continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible intelligence.