Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have recorded a major operational success in Borno and Yobe States with the arrest of two suspected suicide bombers and the disruption of critical logistics networks sustaining Boko Haram terror activities.
One of the suspects was apprehended in Banki town during joint operations and intelligence-led patrols by troops deployed under the Joint Task Force North East (JTF NE), while the second was earlier arrested in Damaturu, Yobe State, in connection with the December 24 suicide bomb attack at the Gamboru Market Mosque.
According to security analyst, Zagazola Makama, the attack was part of the coordinated plans by Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), Ansaru and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) elements to execute suicide bombings and improvised explosive device (IED) attacks across parts of the North-East zone.
It was gathered that a Boko Haram team led by a notorious IED expert, Munzir Abu Ziyadah, allegedly prepared up to 10 person-borne improvised explosive device (PBIED) attacks from the Ali Ngulde camp axis.
The terrorists reportedly moved through the Ngoshe Mountains towards Gazuwa and Ngom, infiltrating several communities in Borno State ahead of planned attacks.
One of the terrorists successfully detonated his explosive at Gamboru Market Mosque on December 24, k!lling five worshippers and injuring 32 others.
Shortly after the Maiduguri bomb blast, the Theatre Commander Joint Task Force, North East Operation HADIN KAI, Maj Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar, directed a shift from routine presence to hunter-k!ller and pre-emptive interdiction operations across the theater.
The Theatre Commander ordered an immediate reconfiguration of forces, with emphasis on intelligence-led operations, layered security around places of worship and markets, and tighter control of movement corridors within Maiduguri and adjoining frontline communities.
Zagazola reliably informed that at about 5:40 p.m. on December 29, troops deployed at the Banki Central Mosque intercepted a suspected suicide bomber in possession of primed improvised explosive device (IED) materials.
The sources said that further investigation revealed additional incriminating IED materials in the suspect’s possession, while he was currently undergoing detailed interrogation.
Meanwhile, investigations into the December 24 suicide bombing at the Gamboru Market Mosque in Maiduguri have also recorded fresh breakthroughs with the arrest and repatriation of another suspected suicide bomber in Yobe state.
The suspect, identified as Ibrahim, was arrested in Damaturu by hunters’ group working in collaboration with Operation Hadin Kai and was brought back to Maiduguri on December 29 for further interrogation.
The source said Ibrahim was taken to the Izala Mosque in the Tashan Joni area of Maiduguri, where he identified a spot he claimed to have dropped a bag containing an IED after he could not get close enough to detonate it.
“However, the bag was not found at the indicated location,” the source said.
Further interrogation reportedly led the suspect to confess that he planted another bomb in a bag at the entrance of the Gamboru Market Mosque on December 24, while his accomplice, identified as Adamu, now deceased, entered the mosque wearing a suicide vest which was detonated inside the mosque.
The suspect also disclosed that six suicide bombers were deployed to Maiduguri ahead of the attack under the coordination of a terror kingpin.
He reportedly named three of the bombers Salisu, Yusuf and Adamu as residents of Maiduguri, while the remaining three another Adamu, Yusuf and Abdullahi, allegedly came from Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
However, in a related operation, troops deployed at the Cameroon–Nigeria border gate intercepted a Peugeot vehicle conveying six bags of urea fertilizer, identified as a key component in the manufacture of IEDs.
According to the sources, the driver and the consignment were taken into custody, while follow-up operations led to the arrest of the fertilizer dealer and recovery of an additional six bags of urea fertilizer.
The arrests and seizures illustrated the sustained intelligence-driven operations of Operation Hadin Kai, aimed at dismantling suicide bombing cells, cutting off IED supply chains and preventing further attacks on civilian and religious targets across Borno State.
One hundred and thirty persons have been arrested after men of the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI raided a suspected fraud compound in Ghana and arrested more than 130 people.
The FBI Director, Kash Patel, disclosed this in a post shared on his official X account on Thursday.
Patel said the operation, codenamed “Operation Blackout”, was carried out in the week as part of the FBI’s efforts to dismantle global scam centres.
“OPERATION BLACKOUT: This is the FBI’s global scam-centre fraud demolition. Another takedown this week out of Ghana,” Patel wrote.
He said the operation had so far resulted in nearly $10m in identified losses, 89 victims identified, more than 130 individuals arrested or detained, including victims who would be repatriated to their home countries, and more than 300 devices seized.
“Investigation is ongoing. These scam compounds target American citizens and destroy lives – and this @FBI is crushing them in every corner of the world. More to come,” he said.
Patel also gave an update on the overall Operation Blackout figures, saying roughly $17bn had been seized, hundreds of alleged scammers arrested and thousands of trafficked workers freed.
He added that more than 10,000 Americans had been warned before losing their money, while an estimated $670m in losses had been prevented.
The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a suspect, Adewale Arojah, identified as a prophet’s son, for allegedly impersonating a renowned cleric on Facebook and defrauding multiple victims of over N18m under the guise of offering prayers and spiritual assistance.
According to a statement by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Oluseyi Babaseyi, on Thursday, the arrest followed a complaint lodged on October 3, 2026, by Muyiwa Akogun, popularly known on Facebook as “Prophet Dr. Muyiwa Akogun”.
The command said Akogun alerted the police after members of the public complained about “fraudulent activities being perpetrated in his name through a duplicated Facebook profile.”
“Upon receipt of the complaint, the Divisional Police Officer, Ilaro Division, immediately detailed intelligence and detective operatives to track down the perpetrator,” the statement said.
It added that “through sustained technological monitoring and intelligence-led analysis, the suspect was tracked to a nearby village in Ajegunle, via the Ilaro/Ibogun axis, where he was successfully apprehended.”
The police said the suspect confessed during interrogation to impersonating the cleric on Facebook.
“During a rigorous interrogation, the suspect confessed to impersonating the real Prophet Akogun on Facebook.
“He admitted to using the cleric’s identity to deliver fake prophecies and offer prayer services to vulnerable individuals, thereby defrauding victims residing both within Nigeria and in the diaspora,” Babaseyi said.
The command said preliminary investigations showed that the suspect allegedly targeted people seeking spiritual assistance through the prophet’s Facebook page.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect systematically targeted victims seeking spiritual assistance on the said prophet’s Facebook page, gains their trust and swindled them of funds amounting to over ₦18 million,” it said.
The suspect has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Eleweran, Abeokuta, for further investigation.
The command said the investigation would be used to ascertain the extent of the crime, identify potential accomplices, and ensure possible prosecution.
The command said the arrest was part of its efforts to tackle online fraud and identity theft in the state.
“The swift arrest highlights the Ogun State Police Command’s resolve to dismantle online fraud networks, curb identity theft, and deny cybercriminals safe space to operate across the state,” Babaseyi said.
The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, Bode Ojajuni, commended the Ilaro operatives for what the statement described as their “vigilance, tactical discipline, and swift response”.
The CP also reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting residents from digital and physical threats.
The command advised members of the public to exercise caution when dealing with religious leaders and public figures on social media.
“The Command advises members of the public to exercise caution and due diligence when engaging with religious leaders or public figures on social media platforms,” the statement said.
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has summoned heads of security agencies in the state to a meeting following a spike in security breaches, particularly recent killings involving rival cult groups in the state.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Samuel Ojo, disclosed this during an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, saying the meeting would be held on Wednesday.
Ojo said the meeting would deliberate on and address the killings by suspected cultists in the state.
He added that the meeting would also discuss measures to make forests in the state safer, in view of the recent killing of an ISWAP leader in Owo, Ondo State.
“We are holding a security meeting on Wednesday, by the special grace of God, to reassure our people and put our security agencies on their toes.
“What happened in Ondo is a lesson to those criminals hibernating in the forests.
We will not take it lightly with anyone using the forest as a hideout,” he said.
He further said, “Aside from that, we are also using the meeting to address the incessant killings by rival cult groups in the past weeks.
“We need to meet and discuss how to stop these killings by cult groups or any other violent crimes hiding under that canopy.”
The governor’s aide, who stressed the need to stop the killings to protect Osun’s corporate image, warned perpetrators of violent crimes to desist or face dire consequences.
“We need to stop it, so as not to give our state a bad name, because nobody knows what they are fighting for or why they are killing themselves,” Ojo said.
The PUNCH reports that two separate attacks by members of rival cult groups, which occurred in Osogbo, the state capital, between last Friday and Sunday, left two people dead and about five others injured.
In reaction to the latest cult attack, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Zungura, subsequently ordered tactical teams to raid suspected criminal hideouts in Osogbo.
