Troops of 18 Brigade, Nigerian Army, have rescued nine kidnapped victims and foiled terrorist attacks in separate operations across Mariga and Rijau Local Government Areas of Niger State.
The operations, conducted as part of sustained offensive operations against terrorists and other criminal elements in the Brigade’s Area of Responsibility, also led to the recovery of weapons, motorcycles and suspected rustled livestock.
On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, troops of the Nigerian Army Training Centre Admin Battalion, deployed at Kotonkoro, rescued nine kidnapped victims during an offensive operation against terrorist elements in Mariga Local Government Area.
The victims were subsequently handed over to representatives of the Mariga Local Government authorities for documentation and reunification with their families.
In a separate operation the same day, troops conducting a fighting patrol in the Warari area of Rijau Local Government Area encountered and cleared a terrorist ambush.
During the exploitation of the area, the troops recovered seven motorcycles, one camel, 47 cattle and 18 sheep suspected to have been rustled from local communities.
The recovered livestock were handed over to the appropriate authorities.
Similarly, on Monday, August 10, troops of the Brigade’s Quick Response Force, in collaboration with troops of 311 Artillery Regiment and Chief of Army Staff Special Intervention Battalion X, foiled an attempted terrorist attack and infiltration of communities in Rijau Local Government Area.
The troops, acting on credible intelligence and maintaining an effective presence in the area, intercepted the terrorists as they attempted to infiltrate Inana Village, Majal and Tunga Bisallah communities.
The terrorists, who were reportedly mounted on motorcycles, fled towards a nearby forest after sighting the troops.
The soldiers engaged the fleeing terrorists, forcing them to abandon their equipment and motorcycles. Some of the terrorists were also believed to have sustained gunshot wounds.
During a subsequent search of the area, troops recovered an AK-47 rifle, an empty magazine and ammunition of different calibres.
One motorcycle was also recovered, while six others were destroyed at the scene.
The Commander, 18 Brigade, commended the troops for their courage, resilience and professionalism and urged them to sustain the operational tempo.
He charged the troops to remain vigilant and intensify efforts to degrade and dismantle terrorist and criminal elements operating within the state.
The Brigade Commander also urged the troops to continue leveraging credible information from local communities to disrupt criminal activities and deny terrorists freedom of action.
He said the successes recorded so far reflected the commitment of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shuaibu, to dominating the battlespace and intensifying offensive operations against terrorism and other criminal activities.
“The troops must continue to pursue and eliminate criminal elements within the Brigade Area of Responsibility in order to safeguard vulnerable communities and protect lives and property,” the commander said.
The Nigerian Army said the operations would be sustained to prevent terrorists and other criminal elements from establishing freedom of action within the Brigade’s Area of Responsibility.
