By Security Tracker
Week of February 10–16, 2026
THE WEEK AT A GLANCE
It was a good week for Nigeria’s security forces. Across the country, from the forests of Ondo State to the volatile corridors of Borno, troops delivered results that deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated. Lives were rescued, commanders were eliminated, supply chains were disrupted, and criminal camps were razed to the ground. For once, the news coming out of Nigeria’s security theatres is worth reading with some optimism.
The Office of the National Security Adviser, which coordinates security efforts nationally, had a visible hand in some of the week’s most decisive operations. But the real story this week belongs to the men and women in uniform who put themselves in harm’s way and came back with results.
THE NORTHEAST: HADIN KAI KEEPS THE PRESSURE ON
Borno and Adamawa States
Operation HADIN KAI did not rest this week. Under the sub-operation DESERT SANITY V, troops sustained offensive operations across the Northeast theatre and recorded the kind of results that give communities in that region genuine reason for hope.
In Sector 2, troops working alongside the Civilian Joint Task Force carried out a night operation around Muktum and Ngirbuwa villages that neutralised scores of Boko Haram fighters.
Night operations of this precision require strong intelligence and stronger nerve. Our troops demonstrated both.
In Borno State, coordinated terrorist attacks targeting Pulka and Mandaragirau were decisively thwarted.
These communities have seen too much violence for too long. The fact that these attacks did not succeed is significant.
Perhaps the biggest headline from the Northeast came out of Madagali Local Government Area in Adamawa State, where troops working alongside local vigilantes and hunters neutralised top Boko Haram commander Abdullahi Mafa. In a separate but coordinated operation, a suspected drone and logistics supplier was arrested.
Cutting off both the leadership and the supply chain in the same week is the kind of double blow that genuinely degrades an armed group’s operational capacity.
THE NORTHCENTRAL: WHIRL STROKE DISRUPTS CRIMINAL NETWORKS
Benue and Taraba States
Operation WHIRL STROKE had a productive week in the Northcentral region. In Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, troops dislodged a notorious terrorist syndicate that had been operating in the area, recovering a significant cache of ammunition and other logistics items in the process. For communities that have lived under the shadow of this syndicate, that is not a small thing.
In Taraba State, troops of 6 Brigade Nigerian Army working under Sector 3 of Operation WHIRL STROKE arrested a suspected gunrunner in Ibi Local Government Area on February 12. The arrest of someone operating in the supply chain, rather than just the foot soldiers, tells us that our security forces are thinking beyond the immediate and working to dismantle these networks from within.
KOGI STATE: CAMPS DESTROYED, ABDUCTEES FREED
A coordinated operation involving the Office of the NSA, Kogi State authorities, and the joint task force produced one of the most complete results of the week. Three bandit camps linked to commanders identified as Kachala and Babangida were destroyed. Suspects were neutralised, and critically, abductees were rescued.
That last point cannot be glossed over. Somewhere in Kogi, families who had given up hope are reunited. That is the real measure of a successful security operation.
ONDO STATE: FOB AUGA HOLDS THE LINE
Troops of 32 Artillery Brigade deployed at Forward Operating Base Auga in Ondo State neutralised two suspected armed terrorists during a tactical operation along the Akunu-Auga road on February 14. The Southwest is not typically Nigeria’s most volatile security theatre, but the maintenance of forward operating bases like Auga ensures it stays that way. Our troops are not waiting for trouble to arrive. They are meeting it on the road.
KANO STATE: A CHILD COMES HOME
In what is perhaps the most human story of the week, operatives of the Department of State Services in Kano State rescued a kidnapped five-year-old boy, Muhammad Haruna, from Danzaki Village in Minjibir Local Government Area following a targeted operation.
The boy is safe. His family has their child back.
In a week of tactical and strategic wins, this one is the most personal. It is a reminder of what all of this is ultimately for.
NUMBERS THAT MATTER
Security Theatres Active This Week: 5
Named Boko Haram Commander Eliminated:
1 (Abdullahi Mafa, Adamawa State)
Bandit Camps Destroyed: 3 (Kogi State)
Gunrunner Arrested: 1 (Ibi LGA, Taraba State)
Child Kidnap Victim Rescued: 1 (Muhammad Haruna, Kano State)
Terrorist Attacks Thwarted: 2 (Pulka and Mandaragirau, Borno State)
States With Active Security Operations: 7
LOOKING AHEAD
This was a strong week. The tempo of operations across multiple states simultaneously, with different commands delivering results in their respective theatres, reflects a security force that is gaining in confidence and capability.
From Ondo to Adamawa, Nigerians can see that the fight is being taken seriously.
The work is far from finished. But weeks like this one are proof that it is moving in the right direction.