NAF Air Component Strikes Bandits Advancing From Zamfara Into Kebbi, Scores Neutralised

By Zagazola Makama

The Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA has conducted a precision air strike on a large formation of armed bandits advancing from Zamfara State into Kebbi State, neutralising scores of the criminals.

The operation which took place on Aug 10, followed intelligence reports indicating that a large group of bandits had emerged from the Sangeko Gap in Zamfara and moved towards Makuku in Kebbi State.

The bandits, estimated at about 240 fighters, were reportedly operating in three groups and moving on motorcycles towards the community.

Following the development, security forces, including troops of the Nigerian Army and personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, mobilised to contain the threat, leading to intense engagements with the armed group.

The Air Component subsequently responded with an air interdiction mission against the advancing bandits.

Sources familiar with the operation said the air strikes were carefully executed on identified concentrations of the criminals, resulting in the obliteration of scores of bandits and disrupting their planned movement into the area.

The aerial intervention also provided critical support to ground forces engaged in the operation and helped to prevent the bandits from gaining access to vulnerable communities.

Meanwhile, residents of affected communities commenced precautionary evacuation as security forces intensified efforts to contain the situation and prevent further movement of the bandits.

Further battle-damage assessment is ongoing to determine the full extent of the casualties inflicted on the criminal elements.

The operation highlights the increasing synergy between the Air Component and ground forces under Operation FANSAN YAMMA in disrupting bandit formations and denying them the freedom to mass and conduct attacks across the North-West.

NAF Air Component Strikes Bandits Advancing From Zamfara Into Kebbi, Scores Neutralised

Police Arrest Clergyman, Air Force, Navy Personnel Over Alleged Plot to Kidnap Bishops’ Wives in Plateau

By Zagazola Makama

The Plateau State Police Command has arrested a clergyman and two security personnel over an alleged plot to kidnap the wives of two prominent bishops in Jos.

The suspects were arrested following credible intelligence received by the police regarding an alleged criminal conspiracy and foiled kidnapping attempt.

Sources at the Plateau state Command said the incident occurred at about 2:10 p.m. on Aug. 7, 2026.

The command identified one of the suspects as Rev. Hassan Yunisim Mijah, 42, of Tudun Wada, Jos North.

According to the police, Mijah allegedly conspired with Sgt. Ezra Sunday, a Nigerian Air Force personnel, and OS Usman Khalid, a Nigerian Navy personnel, both attached to Sector 1, Operation ENDURING PEACE (OPEP), Jos, to kidnap the wives of Bishop Ephraim Gongden and retired Bishop Benjamin Kwashi.

The two bishops are reportedly residents of the Rantya area of Jos South Local Government Area.

The command said that upon receiving the intelligence, police operatives led by the Commander of the Vigilance and Criminal Response Unit (VCRU) immediately commenced an operation that resulted in the arrest of the three suspects.

“On interrogation, suspects confessed to the crime,” the police said.

The command added that Operation ENDURING PEACE (OPEP) had been formally informed of the arrest of the two personnel attached to the operation.

Police authorities said investigation was ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the alleged conspiracy and to identify and apprehend other members of the suspected criminal network.

Police Arrest Clergyman, Air Force, Navy Personnel Over Alleged Plot to Kidnap Bishops’ Wives in Plateau

Shekau’s Son Reportedly Emerges in Boko Haram Ranks, Raising Concerns Over Next Generation of Insurgency

By Zagazola Makama

Ibn Mohammed bin Shakau, the biological son of the late Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, is said to have emerged within the ranks of Boko Haram insurgent group, raising fresh concerns over the possible continuation of the ideology and networks associated with his father.

Ibn Mohammed is reportedly taking steps into the militant organisation, following the path of his father, who was one of the most notorious figures in Nigeria’s insurgency in the North-East.

Abubakar Shekau became the leader of Boko Haram after the death of the group’s founder, Mohammed Yusuf, and presided over some of the most violent periods of the insurgency.

Under his leadership, Boko Haram carried out attacks against communities, security personnel, government institutions and other civilian targets across the North-East and neighbouring countries.

Shekau was also known for his uncompromising leadership style and his use of propaganda videos to threaten governments and announce attacks.

His death in 2021 following a confrontation with fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) significantly altered the dynamics of the insurgency in the Lake Chad region.

Shekau’s Son Reportedly Emerges in Boko Haram Ranks, Raising Concerns Over Next Generation of Insurgency