Operation Whirl Stroke troops kill a suspected bandit kingpin along the Jortar-Atume axis and arrest two suspected kidnappers in Logo LGA, Benue State, recovering weapons, phones, and a MoniePoint ATM card.
Benue State — August 24, 2026
Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), have killed a suspected bandit kingpin and arrested two suspected kidnappers in separate operations across Benue State, according to the task force's Acting Media Information Officer, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu.
Acting on credible intelligence on August 19, troops intercepted a suspected kingpin and his associates operating an illegal checkpoint along the Jortar-Atume axis. A firefight ensued, during which one suspect, identified only by the nickname "Cool Nigga," was neutralised. Other members of the group fled the scene, abandoning a motorcycle that troops subsequently recovered.
In a separate operation at Gou in Logo Local Government Area, troops arrested two suspected kidnappers identified as Terhile Iyo, 44, and Vershima Emmanuel, 32. According to the military, both suspects confessed to attempting to kidnap a local resident, Mrs. Balame Nyikwagh of Gou Village.
Items recovered from the suspects included a locally made pistol, a cartridge, five Tecno torchlight phones, a MoniePoint ATM card, an identity card, multiple SIM cards, and charms. Both suspects remain in military custody as investigations continue.
The operations add to a string of recent counter-banditry successes recorded across Benue State, coming as the state continues to grapple with a wave of highway kidnappings and rural attacks in LGAs including Ohimini, Otukpo, and Ukum.
More on Benue