The Defence Headquarters has confirmed the arrest of a notorious terrorist kingpin, Adamu Buba, also known as Mai Pankshin, during a military operation in Plateau State.
Buba, long wanted for orchestrating several deadly attacks in the Northcentral region, was captured alongside 13 other suspects in a coordinated raid, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye, announced on Friday.
Kangye, disclosed in a statement, that the military also recovered arms, ammunition, and motorcycles during the operation that led to Buba’s arrest. “The capture of Adamu Buba marks a significant breakthrough in ongoing efforts to dismantle terror networks in the Northcentral,” he said.
The military spokesman added that across the country, troops intensified operations during the week, arresting 63 terrorists and bandits in total and rescuing 89 kidnap victims.
In the Northeast, 18 terrorists were apprehended and three hostages rescued, with troops recovering weapons, logistics supplies, and dismantling several Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). A key breakthrough was recorded in Gubio, Borno State, where a suspect led troops to an arms cache containing three AK-47 rifles, magazines, and ammunition.
In the Northwest, troops freed 60 kidnap victims and arrested 25 suspects, while in the Southeast, they rescued 20 victims, including nine pregnant women, seven infants, and four children, from an orphanage, handing them over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
Troops in the South-South also stepped up the fight against oil theft, arresting 33 suspects and recovering petroleum products worth over N25 million, while destroying eight illegal refining sites and other equipment used in crude siphoning.
Kangye reaffirmed that the Armed Forces remain committed to sustaining pressure on terrorist groups and criminal gangs nationwide, stressing that Buba’s arrest “signals that no hideout is beyond the reach of security forces.”
