TROOPS under Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) have foiled a plot by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) to establish operational bases in Plateau and Bauchi States.
In a statement issued on Sunday, April 13, the OPSH Spokesperson, Samson Zhakom, said two suspected ISWAP members were apprehended during a sting operation on April 11, in the Yelwa area of Shendam Local Government Area (LGA), Plateau State.
The suspects, 25-year-old Abdulkadir Dalhatu and Ubaidu Hassan, were reportedly operating under the guise of tailors while secretly working to expand ISWAP’s footprint in the North-Central region. Preliminary investigations indicate they were sent by an ISWAP commander to set up new cells in the two states.
In a separate operation, troops from Sector 4 OPSH also raided the hideout of a wanted criminal in Mazat village, Barkin Ladi LGA.
Although the suspect escaped, soldiers recovered an AK-47 rifle, a magazine, and other items buried within the building.
Elsewhere, troops from Sector 2, acting on credible intelligence, laid an ambush for bandits along the Pinau-Bangalala Road in Wase LGA. One bandit was killed, while others escaped with gunshot wounds.
Meanwhile, tragedy struck the Zogu community in Miango District, Bassa LGA, as terrorists launched an early morning attack on Saturday, killing a man and his two sons.
According to the Irigwe Development Association (IDA), the victims were identified as 56-year-old Weyi Gebeh and his sons, Zhu (25) and Henry (16).
Reacting to the killings, IDA’s spokesperson, Jugo, said: “The way criminal elements invade our motherland and kill with impunity seems to suggest a more sinister motive than mere reprisal for alleged wrongs.
“IDA therefore calls on the Plateau State government and security agencies to take urgent action and end the slaughter of innocent people in Irigwe land.”
In recent months, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a splinter faction of Boko Haram, has intensified its insurgency across northeastern Nigeria, particularly in Borno State.
On January 26, 2025, ISWAP fighters launched a deadly assault on a Nigerian army base in Malam-Fatori, resulting in the deaths of at least 20 soldiers, including a commanding officer. Just days earlier, on January 14, ISWAP militants killed 40 farmers in Kukawa Local Government Area, despite the victims reportedly paying levies to the group for protection.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.