Troops of Sector 3, Joint Task Force North East, Operation Hadin Kai, intercepted a Chadian national suspected of transporting a large consignment of illicit drugs and alcohol destined for terrorist elements hiding in the Lake Chad Islands, a breakthrough the military says disrupts a key part of the logistics network that keeps insurgents fighting.
According to a statement from Acting Military Information Officer Captain Mohammed Goni, troops conducting an intensive search along the Maiduguri to Monguno axis intercepted a suspicious vehicle heading toward Kwatan Doron Baga in Kukawa local government area and arrested the driver, Rachael Samuel, 48, a Chadian national from Kelo in Chari Baguirmi Province. Preliminary investigation indicated the prohibited items were bound for locations within the Lake Chad Islands, an area known to shelter terrorist elements, and items recovered from the suspect included seven compressed bundles of suspected cannabis weighing about 30 kilogrammes, two 10 litre containers of hydro mercuric chloride, popularly known as suck and die, a carton of 48 dry gin bottles and 61 bottles of herbal alcoholic beverages, together worth millions of naira on the street, alongside a mobile phone, two ATM cards, personal effects and cash. The suspect remains in military custody while the exhibits are secured pending handover to the appropriate law enforcement agency.
The military said intelligence consistently shows that illicit drugs and intoxicants are commonly used by terrorist groups to stimulate fighters, suppress fear and enable violent operations, meaning intercepting the consignment before it reached its destination disrupted another critical piece of the terrorists’ support network. The Theatre Command commended the troops’ vigilance and professionalism and urged the public to keep supplying timely, credible information to security agencies as operations against terrorists and their collaborators continue.
Separately, Nigeria’s fight against kidnapping gained a new layer of international backing as the National Counter Terrorism Centre, under the Office of the National Security Adviser, partnered with the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency to launch the second edition of the Multi Agency Anti Kidnap Fusion Cell State Expansion Programme in Abuja. National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, represented by National Counter Terrorism Centre National Coordinator Adamu Laka, whose remarks were delivered by Director of Intelligence Peter Gbor, said kidnapping remains one of Nigeria’s most pressing security challenges as criminal groups deploy increasingly sophisticated tactics, exploit technology and operate across multiple jurisdictions, requiring sustained inter agency collaboration, timely intelligence sharing and coordinated operational response. The Fusion Cell, he said, has already significantly improved intelligence integration, operational coordination, geospatial analysis and information sharing among security agencies, leading to disrupted kidnapping networks, successful rescues and stronger investigative capability, though sustained collaboration remains essential to closing the operational gaps criminals continue to exploit.
United Kingdom National Crime Agency International Liaison Officer Matt Mountain reaffirmed Britain’s partnership with Nigeria in fighting serious and organised crime, commending Nigerian security agencies for their professionalism and courage despite increasingly complex operational challenges, and noted that effective kidnapping response begins at the state level, where initial intelligence gathering, operational decisions and engagement with victims’ families take place, arguing that strengthening the link between state commands and the Fusion Cell would speed up intelligence sharing, improve coordination, support victims’ families better and increase both rescue success rates and the odds that offenders are brought to justice, while stressing that the UK’s support respects Nigeria’s leadership on its own security challenges. Director of Intelligence Peter Gbor, delivering the welcome address, said kidnapping has evolved into both a major public safety concern and a significant financing source for terrorist and organised criminal groups, noting that the Fusion Cell, operationalised by the National Security Adviser on December 19, 2024, has become a critical platform for integrating intelligence and coordinating responses, and that this second phase of the State Expansion Programme builds on earlier gains by strengthening communication between state operational commanders and the Cell, with participants undergoing intensive Kidnap Management Training based on the United Nations Kidnap Manual and reviewing the Cell’s standard operating procedures to sharpen its effectiveness nationwide.
