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17 SOLDIERS: CHILLING DISCOVERIES AT OKUAMA
17 SOLDIERS: CHILLING DISCOVERIES AT OKUAMA
By: Zagazola Makama
Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu vowed to ensure justice on the brutal killing of 17 soldiers at Okuama community, Ughelli Local Government Area, Delta State, and his consequent matching order to the Nigerian Army to thoroughly investigate and fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act, facts revealed by every passing day firmly point at the entire community as complicit, not just the group of militants who actually carried out the execution.
In response to the President’s directives, the military high command ordered the extension of the search for suspected killers of the 17 soldiers in the Okuama community. Before the Operation, leaders of the community alleged that soldiers had begun targeting innocent civilians in the community rather than going after the miscreants who committed the crime.
Further searches fan across the community and sink deeper into the affairs and proclivities of its residents have revealed, with firmer confirmation, that the entire Okuama, from its traditional and community leaders and other elites down to the lowest residents in socioeconomic and political status is a community of militants thriving on terror.
But even before the Operation to find the culprit began, leaders of the community had orchestrated an allegation in the media that soldiers were targeting innocent civilians in the community rather than going after the miscreants who committed the crime. This move which some observers saw as being contrived to cast the military in bad light and to demonize its operation, did not deter them from going after the killers of the soldiers and masterminds of the crime.
Military investigations, which have, all through, been conducted in the finest and most-careful fashion to guard against incriminating innocent citizens, according to the presidential directive, findings have been revealing the most-chilling set up of Okuama and its surrounding communities.
First, all expressions of sympathy and commiseration by the traditional rulers, tending to exonerate themselves from the act, as well as their commitment to aid the military in the search for the perpetrators, are all feigned. The wider the search, and the deeper the investigation, the more glaring the complicity of the community’s elites and traditional rulers.
Second, and most-chilling, the deeper the military’s search across the community to disarm the residents, in compliance with directives, the more it is discovered that the entire community is sitting on an expansive cache of arms, which the youthful militants deploy to unleash terror on the behest and command of their elders and elites.
On April 10, 2024, troops of 63 Brigade conducted a raid/ cordon and search operations at Olota Community of Ugheli South LGA of Delta State confirming all these facts about Okuama and its surrounding communities with regard to their stockpile of arms for terror activities.
During the Search of the residence of one Mr Kenneth, who escaped on sighting the troops, the team discovered one G3 rifle, 853 rounds of 7.62 MM Nato and 19 rounds of 7.62 Special MM.
A further search of other locations within the community led to the discovery of 4 G3 rifles and Magazines, one pump action gun and 3 Sub Machine Guns, Magazines and 476 carriages. Additionally, the troops recovered 5 dane guns and one big plastic containing substances suspected to be Carbis satin.
Armed with robust intelligence effort, the military were said to have stormed a number of hideouts and homes of individuals suspected to be complicit in the heinous crime. The operations, however, paid off with the arrest of three leaders of the Olota community in Ugheli South LGA of the state.
The arrest of the three identified individuals followed a painstaking effort of the military to track down the masterminds and killers of the soldiers. The manhunt of the perpetrators has compelled the military to look beyond Okuama community as they are said to have extended their dragnet to surrounding communities and across the creeks of the Niger Delta region where they suspect that the killers might be hiding.
The troops are also in search of weapons which they believe are stockpiled in many homes within the general area.
One Intelligence source who spoke to Zagazola Makama, said the communities where the troops have conducted searches were full of weapons and the directive handed over to the troops was to mop up the arms and ammunition and disarm the communities.
According to him, the troops will not relent until that particular order has been carried out to the letter. He said the domination of the general area is in progress while the search for weapons belonging to the slain military personnel and culprits in the dastardly act continues. “All these communities have what they call, ‘community weapons’ ‘ which they use to cause havoc here”, he said.
Recall that on the 14th day of March, Lt. Colonel A. H. Ali, the Commanding Officer of 181 Amphibious Battalion, led three other officers and 13 soldiers to the Okuama Community to mediate in the lingering dispute with Okoloba Community, and were killed by members of the Okuama community.
They went as peacemakers and peacekeepers, respectfully seeking to bring an end to the hostilities between the two communities. They did not go with tanks, machine guns, and other weapons. They were on a mission for peace.
*Zagazola Makama, is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region
17 SOLDIERS: CHILLING DISCOVERIES AT OKUAMA
Army troops rescue 11 kidnapped victims in Kaduna
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of 1 Division of the Nigerian Army have rescued 11 kidnapped victims in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State following a coordinated operation along the Kaduna–Abuja road axis.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the rescue was carried out late on Jan. 26 after troops deployed at a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Doka, after sighted armed terrorists moving with captives along a bush track between Gidan Duna and Amale in Kachia LGA.
According to the sources, the troops immediately mobilised and pursued the suspects.
“On sighting the approaching security vehicles and motorcycles, the terrorists abandoned the victims and fled into the surrounding bush.
The troops secured the victims and fired probing shots in the general area, but no further contact was made,” the sources said.
The sources added that a total of 11 victims were rescued, comprising five adult males, three females and three children.
The rescued persons reportedly told the troops that they were kidnapped from Gada Mallam Maman community in Kachia LGA on Oct. 26, 2025.
The victims were subsequently conveyed back to their community and reunited with their families.
Security operations and patrols have been intensified in the area to prevent further attacks and track down the fleeing suspects, the sources said.
Army troops rescue 11 kidnapped victims in Kaduna
The Borno State Government to Repatriate over 3,000 Refugees from Cameroon after 11 Years
By: Our Reporter
Borno State Government has finalised arrangements for the voluntary repatriation of more than 3,000 Nigerian refugees from Cameroon republic to their ancestral homes after 11 years.
This is in fulfillment of Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum’s commitment to repatriate and resettle all Nigerian refugees from Borno who are sheltering in neighboring Chad, Cameroon and Niger republics.
The operation is being conducted with the support of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons.
Chairman Borno State Sub-Committee on Repatriation and member of the Presidential Committee on Repatriation, Engineer Lawan Abba Wakilbe, on Monday met with a Government delegation from Cameroon’s Far North Region and officials of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at the Minawao Refugee Camp in Maroua.
The purpose of the meeting was to finalise logistical and other arrangements to ensure the refugees’ safe and dignified return.
During a visit to the camp in December 2025, Governor Zulum assured refugees willing to return that they would do so in a safe and dignified manner, marking a new chapter for families displaced by insurgency over 11 years ago.
The refugees, predominantly from communities in central and southern Borno, fled to Cameroon more than 11 years ago during the peak of the insurgency, which devastated villages, displaced families, and disrupted socio-economic life across the North-East.
During their stay, Cameroonian authorities and humanitarian partners provided shelter, healthcare, education, and other essential services. Many refugees were also allocated farmland to support agricultural activities, reducing aid dependency and allowing them to sustain their families with dignity.
With improved security in several parts of Borno and ongoing state-led reconstruction efforts, many refugees have expressed their readiness to return home voluntarily.
The Borno State Government has already provided buses and other logistical support for the movement of the refugees while the National Commission for Refugees will oversee and coordinate the repatriation mission in collaboration with Cameroonian authorities and humanitarian agencies.
“This is the fourth phase, which began in 2020. The process is going on smoothly in accordance with the tripartite and technical working group agreements,” Engr. Wakilbe stated.
“His Excellency, Governor Zulum, was here on 8 December 2025 and made commitments. As soon as they return home, all commitments will be fulfilled,” he assured.
In a related development, Engineer Wakilbe led a high-level delegation to the office of the Governor of Cameroon’s Far North Region, Midjiyawa Bakari.
During their meeting, Governor Bakari commended the Borno State Government for sustaining the longstanding and cordial bilateral relationship, noting that cooperation between the two countries has been instrumental in ensuring the protection, welfare, and orderly return of displaced persons across the border.
End
Three soldiers killed in IED attack near Niamey, says Niger army sources
By: Zagazola Makama
At least three Nigerien soldiers were killed and 10 others injured on Sunday after an army patrol vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED) in Bartchawal, Tillabéri Region, about 20 kilometres from the capital, Niamey.
Sources said that the incident occurred late in the day along the Niamey–Filingué road axis when the patrol was returning from routine operations in the area.
According to the sources, the IED detonated as the military convoy passed, killing three soldiers on the spot and injuring 10 others, who were evacuated to medical facilities in Niamey for treatment.
The attack was later claimed by the Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), a jihadist group affiliated with Al-Qaeda, in a statement released on Monday.
“This is the first attack claimed by JNIM in this area so close to the capital,” the sources noted.
They added that the Nigerien Armed Forces had reinforced security along the Niamey–Filingué corridor, with additional patrols and surveillance measures deployed to prevent further attacks and reassure residents.
Tillabéri Region, in western Niger, has in recent years faced persistent security challenges linked to insurgent activities spilling over from the tri-border area of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.
Three soldiers killed in IED attack near Niamey, says Niger army sources
Army troops rescue 11 kidnapped victims in Kaduna
The Borno State Government to Repatriate over 3,000 Refugees from Cameroon after 11 Years
Three soldiers killed in IED attack near Niamey, says Niger army sources
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