DHQ Confirms US Forces, Equipment in Nigeria, Security Eliminates Bandit Kabiru

•Niger, Kwara governors meet in Minna

Laleye Dipo in Minna, Linus Aleke in Abuja and Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has confirmed the arrival of approximately 100 United States military personnel and associated equipment at Bauchi Airfield to support ongoing capacity-building efforts of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

In a statement by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, the deployment was described as a planned outcome of prior engagements between a Nigerian delegation and its US counterpart during a bilateral working group meeting.

The presence of the US forces followed a formal request by the federal government of Nigeria for specific military training, technical assistance and intelligence-sharing support.

According to the DHQ, the collaboration was designed to strengthen Nigeria’s operational capabilities in confronting terrorist threats and improving the protection of vulnerable communities nationwide.

“It will provide access to specialised technical expertise intended to enhance deterrence and response effectiveness,” Uba said, adding that the US personnel were in Nigeria strictly in an advisory and training capacity and not deployed as combat forces.

All activities, he noted, will be conducted under the authority, direction and control of the Nigerian Government, in close coordination with the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

Nigerian troops were expected to begin a series of joint training exercises and intelligence-focused cooperation initiatives with the visiting advisers.

These engagements aimed to improve operational planning, intelligence analysis and tactical proficiency in counter-terrorism operations.

ONSA, Army, DSS Eliminate Kabiru

Operatives from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Nigerian Army, and the Department of State Services (DSS) have successfully neutralised notorious bandit leader, Kachalla Kabiru, along with several of his lieutenants during a joint operation in Kogi State.

Credible sources revealed that the operation, which included precision airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force, took place on 13 February 2026 following weeks of intensive intelligence gathering and surveillance that confirmed Kabiru’s presence at a designated hideout.

“Kachalla Kabiru and some of his top lieutenants were neutralised in a coordinated operation involving both air and ground assets,” a source said, saying, “The strike was based on reliable intelligence confirming the kingpin’s exact location.”

Kabiru had long been central to the recruitment, coordination, and movement of bandit groups across multiple states in the North Central and adjoining regions.

“He relocated from the North West into Kogi over a decade ago and entrenched himself in forested areas and border communities,” the source added.

“From there, he orchestrated kidnapping and banditry operations across Kogi, Kwara, Benue, Enugu, Edo, Ekiti, and Ondo states, serving as a key link between criminal networks across state lines.”

The sources further explained that Kabiru played a crucial role in logistics and manpower mobilisation for bandit groups, facilitating the movement of fighters, weapons, and kidnapped victims along forest corridors connecting the North West, North Central, and South West zones.

Bishop Fagbohun Raises the Alarm over Killings, Illegal Mining in Benue

The Presiding Bishop of the Old Catholic Apostolic Church Nigeria and President of African Old Catholic Churches, Most Rev. Oluwaseun Raphael Fagbohun, has called on the federal government to urgently investigate the wave of killings and alleged illegal mining activities in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.

Fagbohun, a retired pioneer chaplain of the Nigeria Police Force, in a telephone interview with THISDAY in Ado Ekiti, expressed deep concern over the scale of violence, displacement and insecurity in the area.

He warned that the crisis might not be driven solely by religious tensions, but could also be linked to economic interests surrounding land and mineral resources.

Kwande LGA has in recent years witnessed persistent attacks reportedly carried out by suspected armed herdsmen, alongside widespread reports of illegal mining activities allegedly involving foreign nationals.

The development, according to local stakeholders, has turned the area into one of the most volatile security flashpoints in Benue State.

Available reports indicate that late 2025 and early 2026 saw renewed attacks across communities in the Mkomon district and Jato-Aka axis, with dozens reportedly killed during the Christmas and New Year periods.

Terrorism: Troops Intercept N37m, Phones, Disrupt Terrorist Logistics in Borno State

Troops of the Forward Operating Base, Chabbal Checkpoint, in Borno State, have intercepted N37 million concealed in bags, along with several mobile phones suspected to be linked to terrorist financing and coordination.

The suspects were apprehended after troops stopped and searched the vehicle conveying the cash.

Five individuals were taken into custody during the operation, which followed credible intelligence and routine checkpoint procedures.

In a statement, the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), Lieutenant Colonel Uba Sani, described the interception as a major breakthrough in efforts to dismantle financial networks believed to be supporting terrorist logistics and operations in the theatre.

He explained that the operation formed part of a broader strategy aimed at cutting off both the physical movement corridors and financial lifelines of terrorist groups.

According to him, sustained pressure along key transit routes reflects a deliberate plan to degrade insurgents’ capacity to regenerate combat power and sustain their activities.

Meanwhile, OPHK troops have maintained operational momentum following recent defensive successes in Pulka and Madara-Girau.

The forces have now transitioned to targeted logistics-strangulation missions designed to cripple terrorist resupply networks across the North East.

On 16 February 2026, troops of Sector 1, working alongside vigilante forces, carried out a coordinated night ambush along a known crossing route frequently used by ISWAP elements moving from the Cameroon axis into Nigeria.

The insurgents reportedly ran into heavy enfilade fire from concealed troop positions and were forced to retreat in disarray.

A follow-up exploitation of the area led to the recovery of a sizeable cache of logistics supplies believed to be intended for terrorist resupply operations.

Niger, Kwara Governors Meet in Minna

Following increasing terrorists attacks in Niger and Kwara States, governors of the two states met in Minna, yesterday, to strategise on how to solve the problem.

This was as impeccable sources said, the Beninoise security forces on Monday repelled an incursion by terrorists as a result of attacks on them by men of the Nigerian security forces.

Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and his Mohammed Umaru Bago counterpart met for almost two hours behind closed doors in the latter’s office in the Niger State capital on Monday.

 Details of the meeting were not divulged to newsmen.

However, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Bago, Bologi Ibrahim, quoted the Kwara governor as expressing sympathy with the government and people of Niger State over the terrorists attacks, which has led to the death of many people and destruction of many properties including residential buildings

Abdulrazaq, according to the statement, described the terrorist attacks as “unfortunate and heartbreaking”, saying “their nefarious activities have claimed many lives, destroyed livelihoods, and rendered many homeless.”

He extended the sympathy of the Kwara State government and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to the government and people of Niger State and assured them that efforts would continue to be made in collaboration with relevant authorities to address the security challenges across the country.

Bago, on his part, appreciated his Kwara State counterpart for the visit, pointing out that, “It is heartwarming and a demonstration of togetherness based on the fact that the two states share a border around the Borgu Emirate and are both bedeviled by security challenges.”