🇳🇬 Nigeria Launches Operation Savannah Shield to Reclaim North Central Forest Corridors

Nigeria has activated a new joint military offensive in the North Central region, launching Operation Savannah Shield to dismantle terrorist networks, kidnapping syndicates and armed groups operating across Kwara State and contiguous areas of Niger State.

Desk: Defence & National Security
Date: Thursday, 19 February 2026
Time: 22:40 WAT
Location: Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

The operation was formally operationalised at the 22 Brigade, Sobi Military Cantonment in Ilorin, where Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, declared that the mission is designed to deny criminal elements freedom of action and permanently disrupt forest-based enclaves long exploited as safe havens. 

A statement issued by Director Defence Information, Major General Sani Uba said Operation Savannah Shield is structured as an intelligence-driven joint task force under a unified command architecture. It will be coordinated within the Joint Operational Area by the Theatre Commander, Major General Obinna Onubogu, with integrated participation from the Armed Forces and other security agencies.

Strategic Mandate

Unlike routine troop rotations, the deployment represents a theatre-specific consolidation effort targeting mobility corridors, agricultural belts and rural settlements increasingly affected by armed banditry and terrorist infiltration.

The North Central region has, in recent years, witnessed the spillover of extremist and kidnapping networks from adjoining forest complexes linking Niger, Kogi and parts of the Middle Belt. Security analysts have repeatedly warned that ungoverned forest spaces and trans-state mobility routes provide operational depth for criminal actors.

Operation Savannah Shield aims to reverse that pattern through sustained clearance operations, stabilisation presence and intelligence fusion designed to close operational gaps between states.

Food Security Dimension

A notable component of the operation is the protection of key agricultural zones. Kwara North and surrounding rural communities serve as important food production corridors. Repeated attacks, farm incursions and abductions have disrupted planting cycles and rural commerce.

By restoring dominance across vulnerable forest belts, the military intends not only to neutralise armed groups but also to create predictable security conditions for farmers to resume cultivation without intimidation.

This positions the operation within a broader national security framework that links territorial control with food security and economic stability.

State-Federal Alignment

Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq described the deployment as timely and strategic, noting that escalating threats in parts of Kwara North required decisive federal intervention.

The Governor expressed confidence that the integrated operation would restore public confidence and reinforce socio-economic recovery efforts in affected communities.

The presence of Service Chiefs, senior security officials and traditional rulers at the flag-off underscored a coordinated federal and subnational alignment around the mission.

Operational Outlook

The Armed Forces signalled that sustained clearance and stabilisation phases will follow the initial deployment, with emphasis on inter-agency synergy and community intelligence cooperation.

Operation Savannah Shield therefore represents more than a symbolic launch. It marks a structured attempt to reclaim contested forest corridors, reinforce deterrence and prevent the North Central region from evolving into a secondary theatre of entrenched insurgent activity.

Whether the operation achieves durable results will depend on operational persistence, intelligence accuracy and sustained civilian-military coordination beyond the initial deployment phase.

🏷️Tags: Operation Savannah Shield, Kwara State, Niger State, North Central Security, Counterterrorism, Forest Security, Nigerian Armed Forces, National Security Strategy

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