Nigerian Army May 2026 Operations: 317 Terrorists Killed, 221 Civilians Rescued Across All Theatres

The Nigerian Army released its operational summary for May 2026, reporting that troops across the North-East, North-West, North-Central, and Niger Delta theatres killed 317 terrorists and armed bandits, arrested 314 suspects, and rescued 221 civilians during the reporting period. The Northeast theatre — encompassing Operations HADIN KAI and LAKE SANITY targeting ISWAP and Boko Haram — accounted for the largest share of terrorist neutralizations, buoyed by the unprecedented US-AFRICOM joint operation earlier in May that killed ISIS global #2 Abu-Bilal al-Minuki and approximately 175 ISWAP fighters in three days (May 16–18). The North-West theatre (Operations HADARIN DAJI and DIRAN MIKIYA) targeting armed bandit groups in Zamfara, Katsina, and Sokoto states also reported significant activity. The Niger Delta theatre saw 5 separate joint operations. The Army noted that its intelligence-driven operations, combined with the US-Nigeria partnership, had significantly degraded ISWAP's command structure. The figures could not be independently verified by outside organizations, and human rights groups routinely note that military press releases undercount civilian casualties from security force operations.