- The Presidency has highlighted the successful rescue of 13 passengers, including UTME candidates, in Benue State as a major victory against local criminal elements.
- Beyond Benue, significant military gains were reported across seven states, including Borno, Plateau, Sokoto, Kogi, and Imo, within a single week.
- Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga criticized “selective reporting,” arguing that the media often focuses on isolated tragedies while ignoring the “heroic exploits” and sustained progress of the Nigerian armed forces.
The Presidency on Tuesday issued a strong defense of the nation’s security trajectory, asserting that the rescue of kidnapped victims in Benue State and recent military offensives across the country prove that Nigeria is winning its asymmetric wars.
Eko Hot Blog reports that special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, pushed back against “armchair analysts,” noting that the rescue of 13 passengers from a forested area in Ohimini Local Government Area was a precise operation by troops of Operation Whirl Stroke.
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Notably, security sources clarified that the abductors were local criminal elements and not “Fulani bandits” as initially speculated, warning that inaccurate reporting fuels ethnic tensions.
Onanuga detailed a series of successful operations carried out between April 16 and April 21, 2026:
Plateau State: Nine ethnic militiamen suspected of targeted killings in Riyom were arrested with a cache of weapons.
Borno State: Troops neutralised Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters and safely detonated IEDs in Mairari town.
North West: Soldiers of 8 Division repelled 30 armed terrorists in Sokoto State, while logistics suppliers for ISWAP were intercepted in Yobe.
South East & North Central: IEDs were defused in Imo State, and a terrorist camp was destroyed in Kogi State under Operation MESA.
The Presidency also highlighted that Nigeria’s security efforts have moved to the global stage.
Chief of Defence Staff Christopher Musa recently participated in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026 in Türkiye, focusing on international intelligence sharing to tackle the root causes of regional terrorism.
