Nigeria’s security agencies conducted 7,062 operations across the country in July and August, neutralising 1,487 terrorists and insurgents and rescuing 777 kidnapped victims, the Office of the National Security Adviser has said.
The figures were contained in a third quarter national security update presented by Chido Onumah, Special Adviser to the National Security Adviser on Strategic Communication and Civil Society Liaison, in Abuja.
According to Onumah, the operations also resulted in the arrest of 354 suspects and the recovery of firearms, ammunition and improvised explosive devices. He said the results reflected increased coordination and intelligence sharing among security and law enforcement agencies.
Onumah said the security response covered terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, arms trafficking and other emerging threats. He stressed that no single institution could address Nigeria’s security challenges alone, pointing to the importance of intelligence sharing, border management, financial intelligence, emergency preparedness and community engagement.
The Nigeria Police Force also recorded gains through intelligence led operations during the period, arresting 1,334 suspects and rescuing 383 kidnapped victims. Police recovered 175 firearms and more than 3,790 rounds of ammunition while disrupting networks linked to kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism and gun running.
The Department of State Services complemented the operations with intelligence driven interventions targeting terrorism, kidnapping, arms trafficking and other threats. According to Onumah, the agency’s activities disrupted illicit supply chains, supported hostage rescues and contributed to convictions in serious security cases.
Efforts to tackle the supply of illicit weapons also continued. Onumah said the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons destroyed 1,419 illicit weapons on July 30, taking the number of weapons destroyed since 2022 to more than 19,000. The Nigeria Customs Service subsequently handed over 399 intercepted firearms and hundreds of firearm components to the centre in August.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency conducted 2,298 targeted operations during the two months, arresting 3,705 suspects and securing 471 convictions. The agency also seized almost 54,000 kilograms of illicit drugs and obtained court orders freezing accounts containing more than N9.8 billion allegedly linked to cartel operations.
Onumah said the security architecture was increasingly focused on disrupting the financial and logistical networks that sustain organised crime and terrorism, rather than concentrating solely on arrests and kinetic operations.
He also identified human trafficking, irregular migration, cyber enabled crime and climate related emergencies as areas requiring greater attention from security and public safety institutions.
The National Emergency Management Agency provided relief assistance to 24,625 households, representing about 147,750 people, during the period, while its National Emergency Operations Centre was activated to strengthen coordination and information management during the flood season.
Onumah also highlighted misinformation as an emerging national security concern. He said Defence Headquarters issued 137 press releases and identified and countered 13 misinformation items during July and August, while the NDLEA also intensified its public communication efforts.
He urged security institutions to provide timely and accurate information, while calling on journalists to verify sensitive information before publication and avoid reporting that could compromise operations or endanger lives.
The update comes against the backdrop of continuing security challenges involving terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, arms trafficking and other forms of organised crime across several parts of Nigeria. While the reported operational figures point to significant security activity, the persistence of attacks and criminal networks means that measuring progress will also depend on sustained reductions in violence and improved safety for affected communities.
Onumah called for stronger cooperation among government agencies, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, businesses, technology companies, journalists and local communities.
He said communities were particularly important to the intelligence process because residents often have early information about suspicious movements, criminal recruitment and emerging security threats.
For Nigeria, the emphasis on intelligence sharing and inter agency coordination reflects a shift toward a more preventive approach to national security. Sustaining that approach will require reliable intelligence, effective prosecution, stronger border controls and public trust alongside continued security operations.
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