Nigerian troops arrest five suspected bandit informants, seize phones and cash

In a series of operations aimed at eliminating insurgents from the state, troops of Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Savannah Shield (OPSS) have detained five suspected bandit or terrorist informants across Niger State.

Captain Jamilu Muhammed Yahaya, Acting Media Information Officer at the Headquarters Joint Task Force (North Central) Operation Savannah Shield, stated that the troops also seized communication devices, cash, and other items that tied the suspects to criminal activity.

During a routine fighting patrol along the Doro axis in Wawa, Borgu Local Government Area on 6 June 2026, troops captured three suspected bandit or terrorist informants. Investigations revealed that the suspects were members of a bandit group operating in Duru, near the fringes of Kainji Lake National Park.

The operation yielded two Tecno keypad phones, an MP3 device containing recorded propaganda and incitement messages that claimed an abduction in Kaduna State and a ransom demand of Sixty Million Naira (₦60,000,000.00), and a cash sum of One Hundred and Thirteen Thousand, Four Hundred Naira (₦113,400.00).

The suspects and recovered items are currently in custody for further investigation, while authorities continue to pursue other members of the criminal network.

In a separate incident, troops of 221 Battalion under JTF-NC OPSS, while conducting a routine patrol along the cantonment perimeter fence, apprehended two suspected bandit or terrorist informants. Subsequent investigations showed that the suspects had been deployed as reconnaissance elements to gather information on the cantonment.

Examination of one suspect’s mobile phone uncovered a photograph of a beheaded individual dated 2 May 2026, suggesting possible links to terrorist activity.

Recovered items included one Android mobile phone, one Tecno keypad phone, one motorcycle, and a cash sum of Eighty-Six Thousand, One Hundred Naira (₦86,100.00). The suspects have been taken into custody.