- Troops attached to the Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have initiated a massive tactical offensive codenamed Operation CLEAN SWEEP III across the Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State.
- The heavy clearance operations have led to the total destruction of multiple terrorist life-support structures, logistics operational hubs, and criminal hideouts concentrated heavily around the Dikkawa Hills region.
- The military deployment was directly accelerated following the heartbreaking death of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, who passed away from health complications while being held hostage alongside his wife by armed bandits.
A major military offensive is currently sweeping through Katsina State as the Armed Forces of Nigeria intensify efforts to eliminate armed banditry networks.
Eko Hot Blog reports that troops operating under the Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, launched an aggressive tactical campaign labeled Operation CLEAN SWEEP III on June 14, 2026.
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This coordinated push specifically targets the dense networks of terrorists operating within the Matazu Local Government Area.
Security sources indicate that the ongoing mission has yielded substantial structural victories, with frontline forces invading and dismantling heavily fortified criminal camps, support networks, and hidden supply caches.
The immediate catalyst for this intense military response was the tragic passing of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar.
The Katsina State Government officially confirmed that General Abubakar, who had been violently abducted alongside his wife by suspected terrorists in the area, died while in captivity due to medical complications resulting from severe diabetes and hypertension.
In direct response to this high-profile provocation, theater commanders mobilized heavy equipment and multi-agency personnel to smoke out the perpetrators, restore structural order, and permanently deny the criminal factions any freedom of movement across vulnerable agrarian communities.
Disclosing the initial operational breakthroughs on Monday, the Media Information Officer for Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja, revealed that the troops have successfully established a tightening grid around the Dikkawa Hills and adjacent rural corridors.
Lieutenant Colonel Danja noted that the forces are executing a mixture of aggressive fighting patrols, intelligence-backed raids, and comprehensive cordon-and-search operations.
The strategic sweep has penetrated the interior communities of Adua, Nasarawa, and Karaduwa, resulting in the absolute destruction of major logistics bases used by the bandits to launch highway ambushes and village raids.
The military command emphasized that the current operation relies heavily on a joint defense framework, incorporating active collaborations with sister security services, local vigilante forces, and traditional community leaders to maximize local geographical intelligence.
Assuring the terrified inhabitants of Matazu and neighboring enclaves of their absolute safety, the Theater Command reiterated its unyielding commitment to sustaining maximum kinetic pressure on the criminal elements until the region is fully stabilized.
Furthermore, citizens have been urged to continue channeling discrete, verifiable intelligence to nearby command posts to aid the ongoing mop-up operations.
