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Security forces under Operation WHIRL STROKE (OPWS) have intensified intelligence-driven operations in Benue and Nasarawa States, recording a series of successes including the neutralization of a suspected armed bandit and the arrest of several individuals linked to armed robbery and cattle rustling.
In a statement issued on February 5, 2026, by the Acting Media Information Officer, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu Zubairu, troops of Sector 1, acting on credible intelligence, engaged armed herders in Ayamba Village, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, on February 3. The operation involved collaboration with personnel from the Nigerian Police Force and the Benue State Civil Protection Guard.
Upon making contact with the armed elements, the troops neutralized one suspected bandit in a brief firefight. Recovered from the scene were one AK-47 rifle, three rounds of 7.62mm x 39 special ammunition, and two magazines.
In a related operation in Nasarawa State, troops deployed at Patrol Base Agyaragu arrested a suspected armed robber along the Asuape-Ome Road in Obi Local Government Area on February 4. The arrest followed actionable intelligence provided by a local hunter. The suspect, identified as Adam Paul, 34, was apprehended in possession of an AK-47 rifle. Preliminary interrogation revealed that the weapon was allegedly obtained from one Tela Obu of Dududuguru Community in Obi LGA. Two other suspects, John Amos and Elisha, also from Dududuguru Community, fled the scene and remain at large. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend them.
On the same day in Benue State, troops of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Intervention Battalion IX, deployed at Agbaragba, responded to a distress call regarding the alleged mobilization of youths from Agagbe community for cattle rustling. Upon arrival, the troops discovered several dead cattle at different locations and arrested three suspects in connection with the incident. The suspects were handed over to the Nigeria Police Force in Naka for further investigation and prosecution.
Similarly, on February 5, troops at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Agbagbe acted on credible intelligence that rustled cattle were being butchered inside a residential building in Agagbe Community. Two suspects were arrested at the scene while in possession of mutilated meat believed to have been obtained from stolen cattle. They remain in custody pending investigation and possible prosecution.
The Force Commander, Major General Moses Gara, commended the troops for their resilience and vigilance, noting that the recorded successes align with the directive of the military high command to intensify aggressive fighting patrols and enhance intelligence-driven operations. He urged the troops to sustain the operational momentum to deter criminal elements within the Joint Operations Area and expressed appreciation to local communities and other security agencies for their continued cooperation and support.
These operations underscore the ongoing efforts by security forces to curb armed banditry, cattle rustling, and related violent crimes in the North-Central region, particularly in communities along the Benue-Nasarawa border axis frequently affected by such activities.
