Troops Rescue Nine Kidnap Victims, Foil Terrorist Attacks in Niger

Troops of 18 Brigade, Nigerian Army, have rescued nine kidnapped victims and foiled terrorist attacks in separate operations across Mariga and Rijau Local Government Areas of Niger State. The successes were recorded on August 10 and 12, 2026, as troops intensified offensive operations against terrorists and other criminal elements within the Brigade’s Area of Responsibility.

On August 12, troops of the Nigerian Army Training Centre (NATRAC) Admin Battalion, deployed at Kotonkoro, rescued nine kidnapped victims during operations in Mariga LGA. The victims were handed over to Mariga Local Government authorities for documentation and reunification with their families. In a separate operation the same day, troops conducting a fighting patrol in the Warari area of Rijau LGA cleared a terrorist ambush and recovered seven motorcycles, one camel, 47 cattle and 18 sheep suspected to have been rustled from local communities.

Earlier, on August 10, troops of the Brigade’s Quick Response Force, alongside personnel of 311 Artillery Regiment and Chief of Army Staff Special Intervention Battalion X, foiled an attempted terrorist attack and infiltration of Inana Village, Majal and Tunga Bisallah communities in Rijau LGA. Acting on credible intelligence, the troops intercepted terrorists riding motorcycles towards the communities, forcing them to flee into a nearby forest. The troops engaged the fleeing terrorists, who abandoned their equipment and motorcycles, with some believed to have sustained gunshot wounds.