Troops eliminates several ISWAP Attackers in failed attempt on Gonori, Recover Weapons in Borno

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have repelled a late-night attack by suspected ISWAP terrorists on the Forward Operating Base of the 120 Task Force Battalion in Gonori, Borno State.

Military authorities said the failed attack occurred between late Saturday, May 9, and the early hours of Sunday, May 10, 2026, under Sector 2 of the North-East counter-insurgency operation.

The terrorists were said to have advanced toward the location from the Mandunari axis at about midnight but were detected early by troops on ambush positions.

Security sources disclosed that troops immediately launched a coordinated spoiling attack, forcing the insurgents into a heavy exchange of fire before air support from the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai and the Nigerian Army Aviation joined the operation.

The combined air-land assault reportedly inflicted heavy casualties on the fleeing terrorists, while troops successfully defended the camp without any breach or loss of equipment.

Exploitation of the general area after the encounter reportedly revealed blood trails, body parts and several terrorist corpses within the vicinity, indicating significant casualties among the attackers.

Troops also recovered one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), two PKT machine guns, five AK-47 rifles, belts of assorted ammunition and other items abandoned by the insurgents.

Military authorities confirmed that some soldiers sustained injuries during the encounter but were stable and receiving medical attention.

They added that exploitation and pursuit operations were ongoing to track fleeing terrorists and consolidate gains recorded during the operation.

The military said the latest failed attack further demonstrated the operational readiness of troops and the continued pressure being mounted against terrorist groups across the North-East theatre.

Troops eliminates several ISWAP Attackers in failed attempt on Gonori, Recover Weapons in Borno

Troops Intensify Show of Force Operations in Barkin Ladi to Prevent Breakdown of Law and Order

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Sector 4, Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP), in conjunction with Operation Keystone and Operation Rainbow, have intensified security operations across Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State to forestall further violence and maintain public order.

Security sources disclosed that the troops were conducting coordinated show-of-force patrols and dominating strategic flashpoints across the area between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. on May 10, 2026.

The operation, according to the sources, is aimed at maintaining vigilance, reassuring residents and denying criminal elements freedom of action amid recent security tensions within parts of Barkin Ladi and adjoining communities.

The authorities said the general security situation within the area of responsibility remained calm but fluid, while offensive operations and surveillance activities were being sustained to prevent any breakdown of law and order.

The troops were also said to have maintained aggressive patrols and monitoring operations across vulnerable communities as part of ongoing efforts to stabilise the area.

Security officials added that troops’ morale and operational readiness remained high as security agencies continued coordinated efforts to contain threats and restore normalcy across affected communities in Plateau State.

Troops Intensify Show of Force Operations in Barkin Ladi to Prevent Breakdown of Law and Order

Unraveling the Dangerous Myth Around Armed Berom Bandits or Militias in Plateau

By: Zagazola Makama

Every time troops recover another locally fabricated rifle from armed youths in Plateau, the same tired explanation immediately follows: “They are only defending themselves.”

Apparently, according to the President of the Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM) Barr. Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, the loudest promoters of dangerous rhetoric that has continued to ignite mass violence across Plateau State.

The people now “defend themselves” with organized militia networks, coordinated night attacks, attack on the Nigerian Army Troops, cattle rustling syndicates, ambushes on highways and while piling up locally fabricated assault weapons hidden inside villages.

Interesting definition of self-defense.
The latest arrest of a Berom militia member in possession of a locally fabricated rifle in Barkin Ladi again exposes a reality many deliberately avoid discussing publicly. The weapon recovered was similar to the same category of fabricated rifles and arms earlier intercepted by troops of Operation Enduring Peace during raids on illegal arms production sites linked to militia activities in Plateau State.

But somehow, every recovery of illegal weapons is quickly rebranded as “community protection.” One almost expects people to believe these rifles manufacture themselves naturally inside village compounds purely for peaceful neighborhood watch activities.

What security reports continue to reveal is far more disturbing. For months now, troops have repeatedly uncovered evidence showing that some armed Berom militia elements are not merely reacting defensively, but are actively involved in coordinated attacks, targeted killings, silent assassinations, cattle rustling operations and armed raids against pastoralist settlements and rival communities. This weapons, sometimes are even sold to Fulani Bandits and other criminal groups who return to attack same communities.

Zagazola Makama has consistently reported incidents where armed youths linked to militia groups attacked herders, rustled cattle, poisoned livestock, opened fire on grazing settlements and carried out reprisals long before counterattacks followed. In most cases, the victims who fall prey to these attackers have nothing to do with the violence.

On April 22, suspected militia members reportedly rustled 84 cattle belonging to Fulani pastoralists around Makera axis in Riyom before troops later recovered the livestock and arrested suspects. On April 26, another Fulani herder was killed while six cows were shot dead and more than 20 others wounded during attacks linked to armed youths in the same axis. At Rafin Bauna in Bassa, armed youths again reportedly opened fire on Fulani settlements before troops intervened.

But strangely, those attacks rarely trend internationally or reported by any Nigerian mainstream media, because dead Fulani herders and stolen cattle apparently do not fit the fashionable “single-victim narrative” many conflict entrepreneurs prefer to market abroad.

The most dangerous part of this crisis is the carefully cultivated illusion that militia violence somehow becomes morally acceptable once wrapped inside ethnic victimhood narratives.

Today, armed groups attack settlements at night, ambush herders, rustle cattle and target isolated communities. Tomorrow, reprisals follow. Then suddenly everyone acts shocked that violence escalated again.

Plateau’s tragedy is that too many people want to discuss only the retaliation while pretending the earlier provocation never happened. Even more alarming is the growing sophistication of local militia operations.

Security agencies have uncovered illegal arms fabrication networks, recovered locally made rifles and intercepted armed youths moving in coordinated groups across flashpoints. Troops have also repeatedly responded to attacks linked to mining routes and remote settlements where armed groups exploit difficult terrain to launch hit-and-run assaults.

Yet each arrest is immediately politicized. protest follows immediately by naked women and youths.

Once security forces arrest armed youths from certain communities, activists begin screaming about “targeting indigenous people.” But when the same armed youths are moving around with fabricated rifles, attacking settlements and resisting arrest, the silence becomes deafening.

Apparently, in Plateau’s modern conflict mathematics, illegal weapons become “cultural artifacts” once found in the hands of the “correct” ethnic bandits militia.

Last week, only one Berom came out to condemned the alleged arrest of five youths reportedly caught manufacturing firearms, describing the act as terrorism and urging communities to refrain from supporting unlawful armed activities.

He said the arrested youths were allegedly found manufacturing guns and assembling ammunition on their own, adding that such actions should not be justified under the guise of community protection. According to him, any claim of self-defence by individuals or groups must be known to community leaders and relevant government authorities, rather than being carried out secretly by a few persons stockpiling arms.

He argued that the development amounted to terrorism and should be treated as such, insisting that the youths involved must be properly investigated to determine who they were producing the weapons for and how they were being used. The speaker also cautioned against ethnic interpretations of the incident, noting that criminal acts should not be defended on communal or religious grounds.

One of the biggest lies repeatedly pushed is that these militias are merely local hunters protecting villages from invaders. If that were true, why are they attacking the Nigerian troops. In Mangu troops came under heavy fire as a result one Senior officer was gunned down. Troops have consistently recovered rustled cattle, fabricated rifles, ammunition and motorcycles abandoned during offensive pursuits?

Why have there been repeated reports of armed mobilization before attacks on Fulani settlements? Why have troops repeatedly come under hostility while attempting to arrest suspects? Why were checkpoints dismantled and troops attacked in communities they were deployed to protect? The same troops were to be blamed when attack happened in the community.

The uncomfortable truth is that some militia networks in Plateau have evolved beyond “community defense.” They now operate as armed ethnic enforcement groups sustaining cycles of retaliation while hiding behind emotional narratives. And unfortunately, every reprisal they provoke creates another reprisal in return.

This does not excuse criminal retaliation by armed Fulani elements. Criminality remains criminality regardless of ethnicity. Fulani militias carrying out revenge attacks are equally responsible for worsening the bloodshed. But honesty demands acknowledging that the violence is not one-sided.

What is happening across Plateau is not a simple movie script of “evil attackers versus innocent victims.” It is a deadly ecosystem of revenge, militia mobilization, cattle rustling, land disputes, ethnic propaganda and retaliatory violence feeding itself endlessly.

Sadly, some community leaders continue radicalizing young men with inflammatory rhetoric while pretending surprise when violence spirals beyond control. And perhaps the greatest irony of all is this: the same people constantly accusing security forces of failure are often the same people resisting arrests, obstructing investigations and defending armed youths caught with illegal weapons.

Then after every reprisal attack, they ask why the violence never ends. A mystery indeed.

Unraveling the Dangerous Myth Around Armed Berom Bandits or Militias in Plateau