JULY 2026

Operation HADIN KAI air campaign

Nigerian military drone strikes killed over 20 ISWAP fighters in the Lake Chad area on 22 July, destroying motorcycles and food stockpiles used to sustain the group. A follow-up strike in Marte LGA on 21 July killed an estimated 15 ISWAP terrorists after an ISR platform identified concealed vehicles and hideouts. A night helicopter gunship operation killed a further eight suspected ISWAP terrorists.

Factional infighting and abduction attempts

Fresh intelligence reported a renewed outbreak of clashes between JAS (Boko Haram) and ISWAP in the Lake Chad Islands, producing scores of fatalities. Suspected ISWAP terrorists attempted a mass abduction of students at FGGC Monguno on 19 July; troops repelled the assault and rescued all 46 students, though gunfire killed at least one. Operation HADIN KAI foiled a further abduction attempt and rescued 31 civilians on 31 July.

Attacks on security forces

A bomb struck a Nigerian Army convoy of the 24 Task Force Brigade near Dikwa on 31 July, killing approximately eight soldiers escorting supplies from Maiduguri. Separately, ISWAP fighters launched a failed attack on a military base, losing six fighters to repelling troops.

Family massacres in Riyom LGA

Armed Fulani militias attacked Wereng-Camp in Kum village, Riyom LGA, late on 11-12 July, killing 10 members of one family and injuring a village head in a three-hour assault. Separate reporting documented nine family members including a two-month-old baby killed in a coordinated night attack, and a further nine of an extended family slain at Kum and Wereng-Camp, with one survivor hospitalised. No arrests were made by police or the Joint Task Force.

Reprisal cycle and contested attributions

In Jol community, Riyom LGA, attackers killed one resident and injured three before vigilantes neutralised three assailants; MACBAN and BYM issued conflicting accounts of responsibility. Three young herdsmen were shot dead in an alleged ambush by 'Berom Militias' at Tanjol village on 19 July, which MACBAN characterised as designed to provoke Fulani reprisals. In Bokkos LGA, suspected Fulani militia killed a pastor at Fubok village on 31 July.

The Otukpo killing fields

Armed herders attacked Nobi community in Otukpo LGA in the early hours of 12 July, killing at least 16 civilians; in the same wave over 50 died across Plateau LGAs. Further attacks on Ugboju communities killed at least 15 across Efeyi-Ugboju and Ipom-Ugboju, while a subsequent Efeyi assault on 28 July killed at least 13 more. An attack on Otukpo-Nobi during a wake and burial ceremony killed eight and injured five.

Community response and spreading violence

Fulani bandits killed at least 18 people in the Otukpo area on 12 July, triggering youth protests and prompting a traditional ruler to order herders out of the area. Angry youths marched to the Och'Idoma Palace demanding government intervention after weekend attacks killed at least 10. In Ohimini LGA, herders killed at least two at Ochobo and several more at Agadagba, with roughly 30 residents missing; in Katsina-Ala LGA, a house-to-house night attack on Sai community killed at least 10.

Military offensives and hostage rescues

Troops of the 1 Brigade neutralised 85 bandits and rescued 283 hostages during intensified operations confirmed by Defence Headquarters. Operation FANSAN YAMMA launched coordinated air and ground operations in Anka and Bukkuyum LGAs along the Bayarzaki Riverline, killing 20 and targeting four terrorist kingpins. Further FANSAN YAMMA operations rescued the Rector of Federal Polytechnic Kaura Namoda and 23 others, freed 11 victims along the Gambada-Gummi-Sokoto road, and intercepted five freed victims near Anka.

Bandit massacres at Sauna

Bandits killed 25 farmers in the Sauna axis of Talata Mafara on 23 July, rustling a large number of cattle, and massacred 22 more at Sauna town amid ongoing debates over bandit dialogue initiatives. In Maru LGA, four consecutive days of attacks forced residents to flee Tashar Mayanchi and over 10 surrounding communities, leaving villages deserted with more than 40 in captivity and the Zamfara-Sokoto highway threatened.

Kamuku-Fulani clashes in Rafi LGA

Ethnic clashes between the Kamuku and Fulani around the Kagara/Tegina axis killed approximately 50 and displaced women and children fleeing to Mariga town. A land dispute escalating from 29 June produced at least 18 deaths, including 15 persons burned alive in a two-bedroom flat at Angwan-Baago on 1 July. A renewed reprisal clash killed at least 10 more and razed several houses, with women and children among the casualties.

Bandit and terrorist attacks

Bandits attacked farming communities in Pandogari district and adjoining Kaduna LGAs between 14 June and 3 July, killing at least 21 farmers and abducting around 20, forcing widespread farm abandonment. In Borgu LGA, a series of attacks killed at least nine including four in an IED explosion on the Dakera-Babanna Road. The Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA conducted air interdiction missions neutralising scores of terrorists.

Major military offensives

The 17 Brigade conducted a major offensive neutralising 79 terrorists and rescuing 290 kidnap victims. Security forces repelled a bandit attack on 27 July, killing over 40 bandits. Operation FANSAN YAMMA's 17 Brigade in Bakori LGA foiled a planned attack on commuters along the Kakumi-Guga Road, killing eight terrorists, and separately rescued nine victims, recovered 56 rustled livestock, and arrested a suspect in Danmusa LGA.

Bandit raids and reprisals

Bandits on motorcycles stormed Dansarai farming community in Malumfashi LGA on 1 July, killing four and injuring eight before villagers and vigilantes killed four attackers. A separate Malumfashi attack killed a prominent community member and triggered reprisals, with youths blocking the Gora road and seven sustaining machete injuries. Bandits blocked the Bakori-Guga road and abducted at least nine market travellers, while a Guga community attack killed four CJTF operatives and one civilian.

The Naridon village massacre

Suspected terrorists attacked Naridon village in Kauru LGA around 11 p.m. on a Sunday, killing at least 30 people including eight children, critically injuring four, and destroying houses and shops. The three-hour attack drew no security intervention, with residents attributing the high toll to the absence of a motorable access road that delayed emergency response.

Birnin Gwari retaliatory killings

Bandits killed nine farmers in Kakangi village, Birnin Gwari LGA on 4 July in a revenge attack after a farmer killed one of their members resisting a robbery; separate reporting documented at least nine farmers killed and others kidnapped in the same district. A military ambush at Gwantu village killed 12 fighters including their leader Doro. In Kachia LGA, terrorists killed one and abducted 11 including three nursing mothers, while bandits killed six ransomed hostages in Southern Kaduna.

The Lata Nna community SOS

The Lata Nna community in Patigi LGA wrote to the President detailing persistent bandit attacks over two years, including the killing of 65 hunters in August 2025, a farmer murdered in April 2026, two residents shot dead at a road blockade on 26 June, and a POS operator robbed at gunpoint on 15 July. The community reports being unable to farm, trade, or travel safely, with their only road repeatedly blocked.

Kidnapping and rescue operations

A joint DSS, Forest Guard, hunter and vigilante operation rescued nine victims and killed three bandits in Ekiti LGA. Security forces killed four bandits and rescued two abductees at Aboki community in Kaiama LGA, while DSS operatives freed two abducted children in the Isin/Ifelodun area. A community raised N60 million and food items to secure the release of three kidnapped victims, underscoring the ransom burden. Members of the Eiye Confraternity abducted and murdered a 29-year-old Polytechnic student.

Mass abductions and layered ransoms

Bandits abducted over 50 residents of Garin Idi village in Sabon Birni LGA, demanding N1.6 million; residents raised N600,000 and paid successive additional levies to secure releases. A group led by Bello Turji abducted at least 37 residents from Sabon Birni communities, killing a 10-year-old. In Rabah LGA, bandits killed four and abducted 32 at Maikujera, all later rescued by security forces, while 20 IDPs were seized at Tambuwal a day after returning from displacement.

Village raids and killings

Bandits attacked Tsamaye village in Sabon Birni on 29 July, killing at least seven including three shot inside a mosque and abducting at least three during a six-hour raid. At Kulodo village in Bodinga LGA, bandits killed the Village Head, his eldest son, and four others during Asr prayer, plus one at Kwance. Operation FANSAN YAMMA rescued 27 victims across Sokoto and Zamfara.

NURTW assassination and its fallout

The Lagos State Organising Secretary of the NURTW was ambushed by gunmen in the Fadeyi area on 12 July and died of his injuries on 14 July, in a killing linked to longstanding gang and cult rivalries in the Mushin-Fadeyi corridor. Three other vehicle occupants were wounded. News of his death triggered panic, early business closures, and reduced commercial bus operations across Mushin, Onipanu, Fadeyi, Jibowu, and Ojuelegba amid fears of reprisals.

Fraud and low-level crime

NSCDC Badagry Area Command raided a suspected fake university in Ilado that had recruited 106 youths from Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries, arresting the alleged proprietor. Six men were arraigned for stealing a mobile phone and assaulting two individuals with cutlasses and an axe at Agege Train Station. A dispatch rider died under disputed circumstances along Ikotun-Idimu Road in Alimosho LGA.

Mining and highway disasters

A coal mine landslide in the Alufele area of Ankpa LGA on 14 July killed 20 artisanal miners after heavy machinery loading triggered a catastrophic ground failure, sinking multiple trucks and prompting the Senate to call for stricter mining safety regulations. A gas-laden truck exploded at an Army checkpoint on the Abuja-Lokoja Federal Highway on 16 July, spreading fire to three other trucks and killing six.

Kidnapping and unexplained killings

Armed kidnappers ambushed a vehicle conveying the remains of a deceased FRSC Deputy Corps Commander in Ofu LGA, abducting nine mourners and demanding N450 million ransom. Suspected gunmen in military camouflage killed at least seven at Okele-Ejule community in Ofu LGA. Kidnappers abducted a school principal, a NECO official and candidates from Government Secondary School in Dekina during ongoing examinations, and a Catholic priest was stabbed to death in Ajaokuta.

The Omoku OSPAC killing

Suspected cultists shot and killed the OSPAC Omoku Zonal Commander and three women along Oba Road in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, on 22 July, with two others wounded. Police launched an investigation and vowed to apprehend the attackers as multiple reports converged on the single incident.

Communal and domestic violence

Unknown gunmen attacked police conducting a stop-and-search operation on 1 July, killing two officers. In Emohua LGA, gunmen raided Rumuodogo 2 Community in a commando-style attack killing two, allegedly in retaliation for bodies discovered in a river. Separate incidents in Obio/Akpor LGA saw a man hack his retired-officer father to death over a property dispute and another beat his female lover to death over infidelity accusations.