Troops of the Joint Task Force Operation WHIRL STROKE have recorded a string of security successes across Benue State — arresting a suspected militia member in Guma Local Government Area, rescuing five kidnap victims in Katsina-Ala LGA, killing two terrorists in a separate Katsina-Ala operation, and arresting multiple cattle rustlers — in what the Force Commander described as a sustained intelligence-driven crackdown on criminal elements across the state.
The operations, carried out between March 9 and March 14, 2026, were disclosed in a statement signed by the Acting Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force Operation WHIRL STROKE, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu Zubairu, and confirmed by both Punch Nigeria and Daily Post Nigeria on Saturday March 14, 2026.
Suspect Arrested In Guma After Attack On Local Resident
The most recent operation was launched on March 13, 2026, after troops received credible intelligence about a violent attack on a local resident in Agasha Village, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. The victim was identified as Mr Shaapera Seeta Michael.
Acting immediately on the report, troops of the Chief of Army Staff Intervention Battalion XI, deployed under Operation WHIRL STROKE, mobilised to the affected area to track down the suspect responsible for the assault. Upon arrival, the troops cordoned off Agasha Village — blocking all exit routes to prevent the suspect from escaping — while conducting a targeted search operation through the community.
The operation was successful. The suspected militia member was identified as Mr Suurnen David Akum, 27 years old, a native of Agasha Village in Guma Local Government Area. He was apprehended by troops without incident. Crucially, a locally fabricated rifle was recovered from the suspect at the time of his arrest — confirming his capacity for armed violence.
Lieutenant Zubairu confirmed in the official statement: "The suspect is under investigation before being handed over to the appropriate authorities for further action."
The Force Commander of Joint Task Force Operation WHIRL STROKE, Major General Moses Gara, commended the troops for their professionalism and tactical approach. He encouraged them to "maintain the operational momentum and remain vigilant in the ongoing efforts to deny criminal elements the freedom to operate within the area."
Five Kidnap Victims Rescued In Katsina-Ala
In an equally significant operation, also confirmed on March 14, troops of Operation WHIRL STROKE rescued five kidnapped victims in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State — after the kidnappers fled when they realised troops were closing in.
Lieutenant Zubairu confirmed in the statement that the five victims were freed as troops tightened their cordon around the kidnappers' position, leaving the criminals with no room to manoeuvre. The statement named the rescued victims as:
🔹 Babaji Muhammad, 40 — abducted along Tor Donga Road
🔹 Yamusa, 45 — abducted along Tor Donga Road
🔹 Annumba Obunde, 40 — abducted along Tor Donga Road
🔹 Babangida Ibbi, 41 — abducted along Tor Donga Road
🔹 Doofan Ahula, 54 — abducted along Chede-Takun Road
All five victims were confirmed safe and alive. The kidnappers escaped into surrounding bush before troops could apprehend them — but the primary mission of rescuing the victims was achieved. Troops subsequently conducted a rapid response operation to Mtam Village in Utange Council Ward of Katsina-Ala LGA on the same day, acting on further intelligence about bandit activities in the area. However, the criminals had already been tipped off by informants and fled before troops arrived.
Two Terrorists Killed In Katsina-Ala On March 9
In a separate operation carried out on March 9, 2026 — four days before the Guma arrest — troops of Operation WHIRL STROKE killed two suspected terrorists during a patrol aimed at boosting public confidence and curbing armed group activities in Katsina-Ala LGA.
According to the statement confirmed by PM News, troops received reliable intelligence that suspected terrorists were operating around Tse-Anka community in Yooyo Council Ward of Katsina-Ala. Troops mobilised immediately alongside operatives of the Benue State Civil Protection Guard to confront the suspects.
Upon arrival, troops made contact with the armed suspects. In the ensuing firefight, two of the suspects were killed while the others escaped into the surrounding bush. Troops exploited the area after the engagement and recovered arms and ammunition from the scene.
Major General Gara reaffirmed Operation WHIRL STROKE's commitment to protecting lives and property across Benue, Taraba, and neighbouring states — and urged the public to continue providing timely, credible intelligence to help dismantle criminal networks operating in the region.
Cattle Rustlers Also Busted — Multiple Operations Across March
The Guma arrest and Katsina-Ala operations come on top of a broader crackdown on cattle rustling that Operation WHIRL STROKE has been conducting across Benue State throughout March 2026.
On March 3, troops of the Chief of Army Staff Special Intervention Battalion IX arrested three suspected cattle rustlers and recovered stolen livestock during a patrol around Obagaji in Agatu LGA. The operation followed intelligence about rustling activities in the Omikwidi general area. Troops intercepted a Sienna bus transporting three fully grown cows suspected to have been stolen — and arrested three suspects identified as Mamuda Hussein, 28; Sunday Moses, 35; and Teny Musa, 22.
On March 7, troops of the Maritime Component at Gbajimba acted on intelligence from a local source in Guma LGA about cattle rustlers trying to escape through waterways. Troops intercepted the suspects attempting to flee by boat — firing warning shots that led to the arrest of one suspect caught with two stolen cows inside the boat. The boat and cattle were seized for further investigation.
What Is Operation WHIRL STROKE — And Why Is It Critical For Benue?
Operation WHIRL STROKE is the Nigerian Army's dedicated Joint Task Force for internal security operations in Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba, and parts of Kogi and Plateau States — the North-Central zone that has for years been the epicentre of devastating farmer-herder conflicts, kidnapping for ransom, cattle rustling, and increasingly organised militia and terrorist activity.
The operation was established in 2018 under former President Muhammadu Buhari following a wave of violent attacks by armed herdsmen on farming communities in Benue State that killed hundreds of people and displaced thousands more. Benue State — which calls itself the "Food Basket of the Nation" — has fertile agricultural land that attracts herding communities from across Nigeria and the wider Sahel region, creating persistent land-use conflicts that have repeatedly spiralled into mass violence.
Operation WHIRL STROKE operates alongside the Benue State Civil Protection Guard — a state-level auxiliary security force established by the Benue State Government to support federal security agencies. The Force Commander, Major General Moses Gara, has repeatedly stressed the importance of community intelligence — local residents providing information about criminal activities — as the single most important factor in the task force's recent successes.
The latest string of arrests, rescues, and terrorist neutralisations is particularly significant in the context of the broader national security picture. As the Nigerian Army battles ISWAP in the North-East — where three commanding officers were killed in a single week just days ago — and the federal government scrambles to address banditry in the North-West, Operation WHIRL STROKE's sustained operational pressure in the North-Central zone is a critical part of the multi-front security campaign that Defence Minister Christopher Musa and President Tinubu are now trying to overhaul and strengthen.
In Pidgin: Army Don Arrest Suspected Militia Member For Benue, Rescue Five Kidnap Victims
Troops of Operation WHIRL STROKE don record plenty security wins for Benue State this week. On March 13, soldiers don arrest one 27-year-old suspected militia member called Suurnen David Akum for Agasha Village, Guma LGA — after the suspect attack one local man called Shaapera Seeta Michael. Dem recover one locally made rifle from the suspect wen dem catch am.
Same time, troops don also rescue five people wey kidnappers kidnap for Katsina-Ala LGA. The kidnappers run away when dem hear say soldiers dey come close — but the five victims don return to their families safe. And on March 9, troops kill two terrorists for Katsina-Ala during another operation.
Earlier for March, troops don also arrest three cattle rustlers for Agatu LGA and catch another one wey dey try to run away with two cows for boat for Guma LGA waterways.
The Force Commander Major General Moses Gara commend the soldiers for their work and urge them to continue. He also beg Benue residents to keep giving soldiers good information about criminals — because that kind of community intelligence na wetin dey make these operations work.
Sources: Punch Nigeria, Daily Post Nigeria, PM News Nigeria — March 14, 2026