Army arrests a father and son in Sokoto terrorism probe, recovering an AK-47 rifle, ammunition and cash during an operation in Bauni Forest
The operation was reportedly conducted at about 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11, by troops of the Nigerian Army’s 248 Battalion, working alongside French Special Forces and a tactical team from the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), under the Office of the National Security Adviser.
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According to an operational report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the two suspects were identified as Muhammadu Ali and his son, Umaru Ali. Both were believed to be from the Bauni village area.
Items recovered during the operation included one AK-47 rifle, a magazine containing three rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, ₦9,760 in cash and three motorcycle tubes.
The suspects were subsequently transferred to the custody of the 8 Military Intelligence Battalion for further investigation.
The authorities have yet to disclose the specific allegations against the father and son or establish the extent of their suspected involvement in terrorist activities.
The arrest comes amid sustained military operations targeting armed groups operating in the forests and border communities of north-western Nigeria, particularly in Sokoto and neighbouring Kebbi State.
Bauni Forest, where the arrests took place, has previously featured in major counter-terrorism operations.
On December 26, 2025, the Federal Government announced that Nigerian forces, working in coordination with the United States, had conducted precision strikes against two Islamic State-linked terrorist enclaves in the Bauni Forest axis of Tangaza.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said intelligence had identified the locations as assembly and staging grounds for foreign Islamic State elements entering Nigeria from the Sahel region.
In the official statement, Idris said the operation was intended to prevent the establishment of terrorist bases capable of supporting attacks within Nigeria.
The government disclosed that 16 GPS-guided precision munitions were deployed during the operation using MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial platforms.
The December strikes highlighted the strategic importance of the forest corridor to Nigeria’s counter-terrorism campaign and the government’s concern about the movement of armed extremist groups across the country’s northern borders.
Tangaza has also experienced repeated security challenges linked to armed groups, including the activities of the Lakurawa network.
A January 2026 security assessment by the European Union Agency for Asylum identified Tangaza among the Sokoto local government areas affected by armed violence, abductions and criminal activities.
The report, drawing on Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), documented 299 security incidents across Sokoto State between January 2024 and August 2025, resulting in 550 fatalities.
Tangaza recorded 23 incidents during the period, placing it among the local government areas affected by insecurity.
The assessment also highlighted the humanitarian consequences of the violence, including displacement, disruption to education and threats to residents’ livelihoods.
In a separate analysis, the Institute for Security Studies described Lakurawa as a hybrid jihadist and criminal group whose activities have expanded across parts of the Nigeria-Niger border region.
The organisation noted that the group’s operations have been concentrated in areas including Tangaza, Gudu, Illela, Binji and Silame in Sokoto State, with activities extending into Kebbi State and neighbouring countries.
However, there is no publicly established evidence in the available operational report linking Muhammadu Ali and Umaru Ali specifically to Lakurawa or any other named terrorist organisation.
Their arrest should therefore be viewed as an ongoing security investigation rather than proof of membership in a particular group.
The involvement of French Special Forces and the National Counter Terrorism Centre also reflects the growing importance of intelligence-sharing and coordinated operations in addressing security threats across the Sahel and Nigeria’s north-western border communities.
For residents of Tangaza and surrounding areas, the effectiveness of such operations will ultimately be measured not only by arrests and weapons recovered but also by improved security, safer roads and the ability of communities to resume normal economic and social activities.
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The military is yet to announce further details about the investigation or disclose whether additional arrests are expected.
