Rescue of Benue kidnap victims proof Nigeria winning anti-terrorism war — Presidency

The Presidency on Tuesday cited the rescue of 13 kidnapped passengers in Benue State and a string of military operations across multiple theatres as evidence that the armed forces are making significant and largely unreported progress in the country’s asymmetric wars.

It also pushed back against what it described as a pattern of selective reporting on Nigeria’s security situation.

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the argument in a piece published on Tuesday, contending that isolated incidents of insecurity dominate public discourse while the sustained operational gains of the military go unacknowledged.

Onanuga wrote, “Some Nigerians and armchair analysts are often quick to criticise the Federal Government for perceived shortcomings in security, highlighting isolated incidents such as kidnappings, improvised explosive devices, suicide bombings, and attacks in parts of the country.

“Such perceptions, however, tend to downplay and discount the heroic exploits of members of the Nigerian armed forces.”

He cited the rescue of 13 passengers, including several young people who had been travelling to write the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, from a forested area in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State.

The victims had been abducted from a Benue Links bus travelling from Makurdi to Otukpo, with 17 passengers on board.

Three escaped on their own; troops of Sub-Sector 1B of Operation Whirl Stroke rescued the remaining 13 on Sunday, April 19, following a search-and-rescue operation.

Onanuga noted that initial media reports had attributed the attack to Fulani bandits, a characterisation security sources disputed.

“The perpetrators were local criminal elements in Benue and not Fulani bandits as initially speculated in some quarters.

“The media hastily attributed the attack to external groups without proper verification,” he quoted security sources as saying.

He expressed concern about inaccurate threat attribution fuelling ethnic tension.

The rescued victims, among them UTME candidates as young as 18, were evacuated to the General Hospital in Otukpo, where some were treated for injuries sustained during captivity.

Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia, who met with the victims, appealed to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to reschedule the examination for the traumatised students.

Beyond Benue, Onanuga listed operations across at least seven states within a single week.

In Plateau State, troops of Operation Enduring Peace arrested nine ethnic militiamen suspected of targeted killings in Riyom Local Government Area, recovering a pistol, a submachine gun, a locally made revolver rifle and over 20 rounds of ammunition.

Security sources said the suspects, found with blood stains on their bodies, were providing information in custody and were believed responsible for a series of attacks that had fuelled cycles of violence and reprisal across Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu.

In Borno, troops of Operation Hadin Kai neutralised two Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters along the Kirawa-Pulka axis on April 18, repelled a separate attack in Benisheikh on April 16 and safely detonated an IED discovered in Mairari town along the Gajiram axis on April 17.

In Yobe, three ISWAP logistics suppliers were arrested by troops of 233 Battalion operating with local hunters in Damaturu.

In the North West, soldiers of 8 Division repelled an attack by approximately 30 armed terrorists in Garin Hillo village, Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State on April 17, evacuating six injured civilians to the hospital.

In Kogi, troops of 12 Brigade under Operation MESA destroyed a suspected terrorist camp in Yagba West, while joint security forces in Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State discovered and safely defused two IEDs on April 16.

In Auchi, Edo State, troops foiled a kidnap attempt, arrested five suspects and recovered an AK-47 rifle.

Onanuga acknowledged that challenges remain and that the battle is far from over, but argued that the trajectory of operations warrants a shift in public tone.

He said, “What the armed forces and government deserve from us is appreciation and commendation, not condemnation and vilification.”

He also noted that the Defence Minister, Christopher Musa, participated in a high-level counterterrorism panel at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026 in Türkiye, where discussions centred on international cooperation and intelligence sharing, signalling that the country’s security engagements now extend to the diplomatic plane.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​