Buratai Lauds Troops’ Gains Against Terrorism, Urges Sustained Support

Former Chief of Army Staff, retired Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has commended the Nigerian Armed Forces for what he described as significant operational successes against terrorism, banditry and other forms of criminality across the country.

Buratai, in a statement on Sunday, said recent military operations under various theatres, particularly Operation Hadin Kai, demonstrate a renewed momentum in the fight against insecurity.

He noted that troops in the North-East had repelled coordinated terrorist attacks and recorded substantial battlefield gains, including the neutralisation of several insurgents and recovery of arms and ammunition.

According to him, in one of the encounters in Borno State, troops successfully defended Kukareta community against heavily armed terrorists, killing 24 fighters and recovering multiple weapons, including AK-47 rifles, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

He added that subsequent clearance operations led to the discovery of additional bodies and graves of fleeing insurgents, while another operation in Yobe State resulted in the elimination of a senior ISWAP commander, Abu Jarir.

Buratai attributed the successes to improved synergy between the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force, highlighting precision airstrikes on terrorist in the Lake Chad region as a critical factor in degrading enemy capabilities.

He said intelligence reports confirmed that dozens of insurgents were neutralised during coordinated air and ground operations, underscoring the effectiveness of joint force employment.

The former army chief also highlighted gains in the North-West under Operation Fansan Yamma, where troops neutralised bandits, dismantled camps and recovered rustled livestock.

He cited an operation in Katsina State where troops engaged a bandit leader, forcing his group to abandon over 200 cattle, which were subsequently returned to their owners.

In Zamfara and Kaduna States, Buratai said troops carried out ambushes, rescued kidnapped victims, and disrupted criminal logistics networks, adding that the military had shifted from reactive responses to proactive clearance operations.

In the North-Central region, he noted that troops under Operation Enduring Peace had made arrests linked to cattle rustling and communal violence, while in the South-South, security forces uncovered illegal oil bunkering sites and recovered stolen crude.

He further stated that in the South-East, troops arrested a suspected insurgent commander linked to attacks on security personnel, demonstrating the nationwide reach of ongoing military operations.

Buratai also referenced the recovery of the remains of two soldiers killed in 2022, describing it as a significant step toward honouring fallen heroes with due military rites.

He stressed that the recent achievements were a result of improved intelligence gathering, inter-agency cooperation and the resilience of troops on the frontlines.

“The soldier must never be demoralised. There is no greater honour than defending one’s nation,” he said, urging Nigerians to continually support the armed forces.

Buratai called on citizens to avoid spreading unverified information and enemy propaganda, and instead support troops through timely intelligence and moral encouragement.

He also commended the Minister of Defence, Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, Inspector-General of Police and intelligence agencies for what he described as effective leadership and coordination.

The retired general urged the military to sustain the current momentum, noting that although terrorist groups had been weakened, they remained capable of regrouping.

“The fight is not over. This is the time to intensify operations and deny the enemy any opportunity to recover,” he said.

Buratai reiterated that with sustained military pressure, enhanced intelligence and public support, Nigeria was on course to restoring peace and security across all regions.

Buratai Lauds Troops’ Gains Against Terrorism, Urges Sustained Support

Nigeria Scales Up Malaria Vaccination as MSF Warns of Deadly Link with Child Malnutrition

By: Michael Mike

As Nigeria intensifies efforts to curb its malaria crisis, the Federal Government has expanded the rollout of malaria vaccines to more states, even as humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) raises concern over the growing toll of the disease among malnourished children.

The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Muyi Aina, announced in Abuja that the malaria vaccination programme has been extended beyond its initial pilot phase in Bayelsa State and Kebbi State to include Bauchi State and Ondo State.

The expansion is part of a broader strategy to reduce infections and deaths in a country that continues to bear the heaviest global malaria burden. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) World Malaria Report 2025, Nigeria accounts for 24.3 per cent of malaria cases worldwide, 30.3 per cent of deaths, and more than half of all cases in West Africa.

While the government scales up preventive measures, MSF has said the reality on the ground remains dire—particularly for children battling both malaria and malnutrition.

Speaking in Katsina at the weekend to mark World Malaria Day 2026, MSF’s Acting Medical Team Leader, Dr. Alibaba Nuraddeen, revealed that malaria ranked among the top three diseases treated in the organisation’s Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Centres (ITFCs) in 2025.

He disclosed that MSF managed about 26,000 children in its inpatient facilities in Katsina alone, with malaria featuring prominently alongside acute watery diarrhoea and sepsis as leading causes of illness.

Nuraddeen described malaria and malnutrition as a “dangerous cycle” that continues to endanger child health. According to him, malnutrition weakens the immune system, leaving children more susceptible to infection, while malaria further compounds the problem by reducing appetite and limiting food intake.

“Treating malnutrition without malaria testing risks delayed recovery,” he warned, stressing that undiagnosed or poorly treated malaria can persist for weeks or months, ultimately pushing affected children into severe malnutrition.

MSF said it has adopted a routine approach of screening every malnourished child for malaria in its facilities and providing immediate treatment for those who test positive.

Public health experts note that Nigeria’s fight against malaria will require a coordinated approach that combines vaccination, early diagnosis, effective treatment, and improved nutrition—especially for children who remain the most vulnerable.

With the vaccine rollout gaining momentum and frontline responders highlighting critical gaps, the country faces a pivotal moment in its battle against one of its deadliest and most persistent diseases.

Nigeria Scales Up Malaria Vaccination as MSF Warns of Deadly Link with Child Malnutrition

NDLEA Intercepts ‘Terror Drug’ Captagon in Kwara, Arrests Suspects Nationwide in Major Anti-Narcotics Sweep

By: Michael Mike

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a fresh consignment of the notorious stimulant known as Captagon in Kwara State, as part of a sweeping nationwide crackdown that also led to multiple arrests, major drug seizures, and the recovery of explosive materials.

The agency, in a statement by its spokesman, Femi Babafemi on Sunday, disclosed that operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu Road in Kwara intercepted a passenger, 33-year-old Nasiru Mu’azu, with 10,000 pills of Captagon—an amphetamine widely associated with militant groups in the Middle East. The seizure marks a renewed attempt by traffickers to reintroduce the drug into Nigeria nearly five years after its first recorded interception at Apapa seaport in Lagos.

Captagon, often referred to as a “terror drug,” is known for inducing prolonged wakefulness, heightened aggression, and reduced fear, making it a substance reportedly exploited by extremist groups, including Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), to sustain combat operations.

Babafemi said the latest seizure of captagon, which street value costs as much as $25 a pill, was made last Tuesday when NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu road, Kwara state intercepted a trailer conveying passengers. A search conducted on one of the passengers, 33-year-old Nasiru Mu’azu led to the recovery of 10 packs of captagon consisting of 10,000 pills and nine packets of Tapentadol 250mg.

In a related operation at the same patrol point, NDLEA officers intercepted a truck concealing large quantities of controlled drugs, including tramadol capsules, injections, and other sedatives hidden in a specially constructed compartment.

He said in another interdiction operation at the Bode Saadu patrol point, NDLEA officers on Friday 24th April intercepted a trailer marked RMY-70XA. A search of the truck led to the recovery of 155,900 capsules of tramadol; 6,000 ampuoles of tramadol injection; 3,000 tablets of Co- Codamol and 9,000 tablets of Bromazepam, concealed in a false compartment constructed under the trailer. A 24-year-old suspect Aminu Isah has been taken into custody in connection with the seizure.

Meanwhile, in Oyo State, operatives uncovered a sophisticated drug trafficking attempt involving ingestion. A 33-year-old businessman, Eze Emeka, was apprehended along the Ibadan-Oyo expressway after a body scan confirmed he had swallowed illicit substances. Under observation, he excreted 45 wraps of cocaine weighing over one kilogramme. Investigations revealed he intended to smuggle the drugs via trans-Saharan routes through Algeria into Europe.

Further operations across the country yielded significant results. In Edo State, officers intercepted a truck carrying over 1.1 million opioid pills bound for Onitsha, leading to the arrest of two suspects. In Lagos, a suspect was caught transporting 810 kilograms of a potent cannabis strain, while in Bauchi, another individual was arrested with over 150 kilograms of skunk.

In Ekiti, nearly 470 kilogrammes of cannabis were recovered from a residential building, while a major raid in Cross River State led to the destruction of 20,000 kilogrammes of cannabis cultivated across eight hectares of farmland.

In a development highlighting the intersection of drug trafficking and security threats, NDLEA operatives in Niger State seized 394 components used in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from a suspect. The materials have been handed over to relevant security agencies for further investigation.

Chairman of NDLEA, Buba Marwa, described the Captagon seizure as a significant breakthrough and a warning sign of attempts by criminal networks to revive dormant trafficking routes.

“We are not just seizing drugs; we are dismantling the enablers of violence and insecurity,” Marwa said, assuring Nigerians that the agency remains vigilant in preventing the spread of dangerous substances.

He commended operatives across affected states for maintaining a balance between enforcement and public sensitization through the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, which continues to target schools, communities, and institutions nationwide.

The NDLEA reiterated its commitment to ensuring that substances like Captagon do not gain a foothold in Nigeria, warning traffickers that enforcement efforts remain intensified across all borders and transit routes.

NDLEA Intercepts ‘Terror Drug’ Captagon in Kwara, Arrests Suspects Nationwide in Major Anti-Narcotics Sweep