Nigeria Steps Up Military Raids After US CPC Designation — Operations, Rescues and Arrests Reported
Tension between Abuja and Washington has prompted stepped-up military action across Nigeria, as the country’s security agencies increase operations against terrorists, bandits and kidnappers in the wake of comments by US President Donald Trump that many in Nigeria viewed as provocative.
PulseNets learned that the president’s remarks — delivered after Nigeria was designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) — sparked alarm and debate both domestically and internationally. PulseNets obtained official and open-source updates showing that Nigerian forces have not taken the comments lightly, moving quickly to intensify counter-terrorism and anti-kidnap operations nationwide.
The army’s official social media posts, PulseNets reported, list at least six coordinated actions in the past two weeks aimed at disrupting criminal networks and insurgent hideouts. Highlights of the operations, as obtained by PulseNets, include the following.
Troops foil kidnap plot, rescue 10 victims in Benue
PulseNets learnt that troops attached to Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) thwarted an abduction attempt and rescued ten people along the Zaki-Biam–Wukari road in Benue State. Authorities said the operation followed credible intelligence on November 3, 2025, that kidnappers — allegedly disguised in police uniforms — had established a fake checkpoint to ensnare travellers. Among those rescued was Warrant Officer John Richard of the 6 Brigade Band, Jalingo; two other victims remain missing as searches continue, PulseNets reported.
Troops repel Boko Haram drone attack in Borno, kill insurgents
PulseNets reported that soldiers of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) repelled a coordinated assault on Forward Operating Base Kangar in Mallam Fatori, Borno State, in the early hours of Tuesday. Military statements, obtained by PulseNets, said the attackers deployed armed drones and fired mortar rounds at the base. Reinforcements from Sector 3 and support from Nigerien fighter aircraft helped drive back the assault. Officials confirmed six insurgents were neutralised and that weapons, drone munitions, ammunition and grenades were recovered.
Soldiers repel bandit attack in Kano, neutralise 19
In Kano State’s Shanono Local Government Area, PulseNets learnt that army units intercepted a bandit incursion at Ungwan Tudu and nearby villages on November 1, 2025. Acting on intelligence, troops engaged the attackers — who arrived on motorcycles — in a firefight that left 19 assailants dead and forced the remainder to withdraw. The military reported the loss of two soldiers and one local vigilante; several motorcycles and mobile phones were recovered.
Army rescues two victims, recovers ransom in Kogi
PulseNets reported that personnel of 12 Brigade freed two kidnapped victims and recovered N3.8 million in ransom during a clearance operation in Kogi State. The intervention, the military said and which PulseNets obtained records of, followed credible intelligence on November 2, 2025, about abductions along the Itobe–Adumu–Ejule axis. Troops engaged the kidnappers en route to Achigili Forest, prompting the criminals to abandon the victims and withdraw with gunshot wounds.
Multiple terror plots crushed across Borno and Adamawa
Between October 25 and 31, 2025, PulseNets learnt that Operation Hadin Kai foiled several attempts by insurgents to infiltrate communities in Borno and Adamawa States. Military sources reported neutralising fighters in Kukawa, Gwoza and Limankara, destroying a vehicle-borne explosive device in Kukawa, and intercepting smuggled fuel and weapons in Adamawa. Five suspected collaborators were reportedly arrested during a cordon-and-search mission in Madagali Local Government Area.
Nationwide raids: terrorists neutralised, victims rescued
On November 2, PulseNets reported that coordinated army raids across the North East, North West, North Central and South-South resulted in the neutralisation of militants, the rescue of 17 kidnapped victims and the arrest of 20 suspects within a 48-hour window. In Zamfara, 1 Brigade freed 11 abductees; in Benue and Plateau, Operations Whirl Stroke and Enduring Peace recovered four rescued victims and detained 15 suspects. Troops operating in Bayelsa and Imo dismantled illegal oil refining camps and recovered stolen crude and equipment.
Cultists’ den raided in Makurdi
PulseNets learnt that Operation Whirl Stroke raided a suspected cult hideout in Makurdi’s North Bank area on October 30, 2025, arresting seven suspects and seizing firearms, ammunition and charms. Recovered items reportedly included two locally-made pistols, a laptop and several bags believed to contain ritual paraphernalia. The suspects are undergoing interrogation ahead of prosecution, PulseNets reported.
Amid the flurry of operations, voices in the diplomatic community argued for a broader view of the violence. John Usanga, deputy spokesperson for the League of African Ambassadors, spoke to PulseNets on Tuesday and urged attention to drivers beyond religion and ethnicity. Usanga warned that the killings and displacements often reflect contests over territory and resources, and that framing the conflict solely in sectarian terms risks overlooking those root causes.
He cautioned that the campaign against terrorists and bandits resembles guerrilla warfare — fast, elusive and embedded among civilians — making conventional military responses difficult and potentially costly to the broader population. In his words, highlighted by PulseNets:
“We must not reduce this to only religion or ethnicity. What we are seeing are groups taking territory and displacing communities for gains. If we only look at the obvious divisions, we miss the motives driving these attacks.”
“This is not a conventional war where you can fix a front and defeat an enemy. These actors strike and melt into the population; any response must account for that reality and avoid collateral harm.”
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PulseNets obtained reactions from security sources indicating the military will continue to press operations while authorities pursue complementary measures to address the conflict’s socio-economic drivers. For now, Nigeria’s security establishment appears determined to show that external pressure will not distract it from ongoing efforts to protect citizens and recover territory from criminal and insurgent groups.
