Yobe Troops Detain Five Alleged Arms Smugglers

Troops engaged in Operation Hadin Kai successfully interrupted a suspected terrorist assembly and detained five individuals believed to be involved in arms smuggling during various operations within Yobe State.

Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, who serves as the Media Information Officer for the Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East), Operation Hadin Kai, provided this information in a statement dated February 19, 2026.

The report indicates that at approximately 6:21 p.m. on February 17, troops executed a fire mission based on credible intelligence indicating that a group of terrorists was gathering in significant numbers on motorcycles at Mangari, situated about 10.6 kilometers from the 135 Special Forces Battalion base in Buratai.

The prompt response from the troops caused the insurgents to scatter in confusion, effectively thwarting their anticipated plans.

In a separate incident, personnel from the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Potiskum apprehended five alleged arms smugglers and kidnappers around 4:30 a.m. on February 18 at a checkpoint along the Gombe–Potiskum route.

Among those detained was a 41-year-old named Baba Abare, who was found carrying an AK-47 rifle, alongside four other suspects identified as Idris Zakari, aged 33; Nasiru Aliyu, aged 25; Abdullahi Sulaiman, aged 35; and Mohammed Idris, aged 34, all reported to be natives of Potiskum.

The arrests occurred when the suspects were intercepted inside two Golf Wagon vehicles with registration plates Borno NGL-506XA and Kaduna DKD16-01.

Following their apprehension, the suspects were disarmed and transferred to relevant authorities for further investigation.