Deploy more military forces to Borno, Kaduna, Reps tell FG

…Troops kill 24 terrorists, recover caches of ammunition in Yobe

The House of Representatives has asked the Federal Government to urgently deploy additional military forces to communities facing rising wave of insecurity in Kaduna and Borno States.

The House also requested establishment of More Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) and rapid response units in strategic locations to deter and respond swiftly to security threats.

This was sequel to motions of public importance on the state of insecurity in the States sponsored by Midala Balami, Lawmaker representing Borno and Gabriel Zock, representing Kaduna during plenary on Thursday.

The House noted with grave concern the alarming increase of killings, mass kidnappings and violent attacks across Kachia and Kagarko Local Government Areas of Kaduna State, which had intensified between late 2025 and April 2026.

Zock, sponsor of the motion, informed that within the said period, communities across the Constituency have witnessed the killing of over 20-30 persons in coordinated attacks across affected communities, witness the mass abduction of over 260-350 persons between October 2025 and April 2026 alone, the kidnapping of over 180 residents in January 2026, including mass abduction of worshippers in nearby communities, the abduction of 32 persons in Kagarko (Kutaho axis) in a single night raid in February 2026, repeated attacks in Kwaturu Ward, Kachia, including the killing of four members of a family in a single incident and several mass abductions.

He also regretted that several villages in Kachia and Kagarko including Kachia town, Kwaturu Ward, Aribi Ward, Katari axis, Kurmin Kare, Idah, Jere, Ruzai, Doka, Bishini, Ankwa, Awon, Kutaho, and Kahir remain under constant threat of banditry and terror attacks and in many cases, bandits operated for hours without immediate security response, leading to high casualty figures and successful mass abductions with ransom demands placed on victims’ families and communities mostly still remained unpaid till date.

The House also expressed concern the persistent and escalating attacks on communities within Askira-Uba/Hawul Federal Constituency, particularly in Mussa Ward, Leho, Pubagu, Kwajaffa, Harang Villages, and many other affected communities too numerous to mention;

It noted that the continuous violence had created fear, disrupted socio-economic activities, and undermined peace and stability in the constituency

Balami, the sponsor expressed worry that despite efforts, resporises from relevant security agencies had not been sufficient to prevent recurrence.

The House resolved to urge the Federal Government to urgently deploy adequate military and paramilitary personnel to Mussa Ward, Leho, Pubagu, Kwajaffa, Harang Villages, and other affected communities across Borno State as well as affected areas in Kachia/Kagarko Federal Constituency of Kaduna.

The House also called on the Chief of Defence Staff and other security agencies to intensify surveillance and establish permanent security outposts in the affected areas.

The House further mandated its Committees on National Security and Intelligence, Defence, Police Affairs, and Army to conduct assessment of the security situation in the constituency and report back within two weeks.

Meanwhile, troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), have killed at least 24 Boko Haram terrorists during failed attempts to infiltrate military formations in Yobe State.

This was contained in a statement issued by Sani Uba, a Lieutenant Colonel and Media Information Officer at the
Headquarters of the Joint Task Force, to journalists in Maiduguri on Thursday.

According to Uba, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) under Sector 2, in the early hours of 23 April 2026, OPHK successfully repelled a determined terrorist attack on Kukareta location.

“The attack, which commenced shortly after midnight and lasted until about 0300 hours, was met with a swift and coordinated response by vigilant troops who executed a deliberate offensive-defensive action, effectively containing the assault and forcing the terrorists into a disorderly withdrawal.

“During the engagement, troops inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers, with 24 terrorists neutralised so far.

“Ongoing exploitation of the battlefield has led to the recovery of a significant cache of arms and ammunition, including 18 AK-47 rifles, 3 General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG), 2 PKT automatic anti-aircraft guns, 3 RPG tubes, 2 mortar tubes, 4 hand grenades, 18 AK-47 magazines, and large quantities of belted 7.62mm ammunition for PKT system.” the statement noted.

However, two soldiers were wounded in the action, but have been stabilised, while the armoured tank, with which the troops reinforced more men to support the operations had all its tyres blown out during the engagement.