Troops of Operation SAFE HAVEN (OPSH), on the ongoing Operation LAFIYAN JAMA’A, have arrested two members of the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Plateau State.

In a statement, Major Samson Nantip Zhakom, Media Information Officer, Operation SAFE HAVEN, said that in a coordinated operation on 11 April 2025, troops of Forward Operating Base (FOB) Shendam busted an ISWAP cell located around the Yelwa axis in Shendam Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State.

During the sting operation, two suspected ISWAP members, identified as Abdulkadir Dalhatu, 25 years old, and Ubaidu Hassan, 25 years old, posing as tailors, were arrested by troops.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the arrested suspects were mandated by an ISWAP commander to use the cover of tailoring to facilitate the establishment of ISWAP bases in Plateau and Bauchi States. The suspects are in custody for further action.

Additionally, on 11 April 2025, troops of Sector 4 OPSH conducted a follow-up operation at the hideout of a wanted criminal at Mazat Village in Barkin Ladi LGA of Plateau State. During the operation, the suspect fled before troops arrived at the scene.

However, troops searched the hideout and recovered one AK-47 rifle with registration number 23402, as well as one AK-47 magazine buried in the building.

The recovered weapons are in custody, while efforts are ongoing to nab the fleeing criminal and recover other weapons in his possession.

Similarly, on 12 April 2025, troops of Sector 2 OPSH, acting on credible intelligence, laid an ambush against bandits along Road Pinau-Bangalala in Wase LGA of Plateau State.

During the operation, troops made contact and neutralized one bandit, while others fled with possible gunshot injuries.

A civic group, the Centre for Constitutional Watch, CCW, has criticised the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, over what it described as a “muted, convenient reaction” to the ongoing constitutional crisis in Rivers State.

A statement issued on Saturday and signed by Dr. Hassan Bello, Executive Director of the Centre, said relocating the NBA’s 2025 Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu was not a bold enough statement against the “illegal and shameful occupation of power” in Rivers.

According to the CCW, Nigerians expected the NBA to go beyond changing venues and instead lead a national resistance against “the creeping military democracy that is slowly strangling our Constitution.”

“You cannot applaud a doctor who simply walks away from a dying patient. By merely relocating their conference, the NBA is walking away from the heart of the crisis. Nigerians expected more. They expected resistance. They expected outrage,” Kura stated.

“Rivers State is under siege. The courts are silent. The Constitution is being desecrated in broad daylight. Yet, the supposed custodians of the law are making travel plans instead of leading the charge for justice.”

The CCW demanded more tangible action from the NBA, including the declaration of a one-month boycott of all courts in Nigeria to signal zero tolerance for the “unconstitutional sole administrator model.”

“This is not the time for cautious statements. The NBA should be declaring a national legal crisis. Their silence in the face of tyranny amounts to complicity,” the statement added.

“You do not fight dictatorship by changing venue. You fight dictatorship by taking the fight to the courtrooms, the streets, and the national conscience.

“If lawyers retreat from a constitutional battle, who then will stand for Nigeria’s democracy?

“The sole administrator is an aberration. The NBA must pursue this matter to the Supreme Court and lead public interest litigation that nullifies this political atrocity.”

The CCW called on well-meaning civil society organisations, student groups, and professional bodies to demand more from the NBA, insisting that the rule of law cannot survive if those entrusted with its defence choose convenience over courage.

The Defence Headquarters, DHQ, on Friday said troops of Operation Delta Safe, have in the last one week arrested 49 perpetrators of oil theft and destroyed 22 illegal refining sites.

The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye, made this known in a weekly report of ongoing military operations by the Armed Forces of Nigeria, in Abuja.

Kangye reported that the troops had during the week foiled oil theft worth an estimated sum of N869.2m.

The breakdown, according to him, indicates 325,990 litres of stolen crude oil, 24,645 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, and 19,500 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, and 1,600 litres of engine oil were recovered.

“Additionally, troops discovered and destroyed 86 crude oil cooking ovens, 181 dugout pits, 25 boats, a speedboat, 18 storage tanks, 316 drums and 22 illegal refining sites,” he said.

“Other items recovered include generator set, jack, galvanised pipes, pumping machines, drilling machines, tricycles, motorcycles, mobile phones and 18 vehicles,” he added.

Kangye also said the military, in collaboration with other security agencies, had continued to demonstrate bravery, discipline, and professionalism in the face of evolving security threats.