RismadarVoice Reporters, February 20, 2026
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, joined the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede, alongside other Service Chiefs and heads of security agencies, at the official launch of Joint Task Force North Central Operation SAVANNAH SHIELD (JTF NC OPSS) at the 22 Brigade, Sobi Military Cantonment, Ilorin, Kwara State.
The intelligence-driven operation is aimed at dismantling terrorist networks, kidnapping syndicates and other criminal elements threatening Kwara State and adjoining areas of Niger State.
The operation will particularly focus on dominating forested enclaves and ungoverned spaces previously exploited by criminal groups.
Speaking at the event, the CDS described the initiative as a deliberate, robust offensive to consolidate security gains, protect lives and property, and secure critical agricultural corridors.
He warned that criminal elements would no longer find safe haven within the theatre of operations.
In his remarks, the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, pledged the state government’s full support for the operation, commending the swift federal response and expressing confidence that the deployment would restore public confidence, reinforce peace, enhance food security across the state.
