According to the statement, “three suspects, Isiya Kwakwatawa, Ibrahim Dan Musulu, and Makau Lamba Goma, were arrested,” while “four terrorists were neutralised and others fled into the forest.”
Troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA (OPFY), Joint Task Force North West, have reportedly neutralised four terrorists and arrested three others during coordinated military operations across parts of Zamfara State, the Nigerian Army has said.
In a press statement, the Army disclosed that the arrests and recoveries followed “successful offensive operations” carried out between January 17 and 19, 2026, by troops of Sector 2 OPFY in collaboration with the OPFY Mobile Strike Team and the DIA Tactical Support Team in Birnin Magaji and Anka areas of the state.
According to the statement, “three suspects, Isiya Kwakwatawa, Ibrahim Dan Musulu, and Makau Lamba Goma, were arrested,” while “four terrorists were neutralised and others fled into the forest.”
The Army said the operations led to the recovery of weapons and other items from the terrorists, including “1 PKT machine gun, 5 AK-47 rifles, 3 AK-47 magazines,” as well as “rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, Baofeng radios, [and] 3 motorcycles.”
The statement added that following the operations, troops later “responded heroically” to a terrorist ambush along the Bingi–Kekun Waje–Gusau Road in Zamfara State on January 19, 2026, noting that personnel demonstrated “exceptional bravery, professionalism, and resilience.”
Operation FANSAN YAMMA is part of ongoing military efforts to dismantle terrorist networks operating in the North-West, where Zamfara State has continued to witness violent attacks and insecurity.
As previously reported, no fewer than five military personnel, including Inspector Aliyu Ibrahim of 1 PMF Kaduna, were shot dead in an ambush by terrorists, locally dubbed as bandits on Monday in Zamfara State.
According to a press statement from the 1 PMF Kaduna, attached to Operation Fansan Yamma (OPFYM) in Gusau, the officers were on pass and travelling from Bingi Kwatarkwashi in Kwatarkwashi Local Government Area to Gusau when the attack occurred.
The statement said, “On reaching Gidan Goni Village via Kwatarkwashi, officers were ambushed and attacked by armed bandits. Inspector Ibrahim and five soldiers were shot dead while some yet-to-be-identified personnel sustained injuries.”
The victims and the deceased were rushed to Yeriman Bakura Specialist Hospital, Gusau, where the injured received treatment, and the corpses were deposited in the hospital morgue.
“The squadron is in touch with police component OPFY Gusau to convey the corpse to Kaduna for a befitting burial,” the statement added.