Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters (DHQ), the top command centre for the country’s armed forces in West Africa, says it is working with other Federal Government agencies to trace how armed groups are obtaining drones and to stop further drone attacks.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, made the disclosure on Friday, 30 January 2026, in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, while briefing journalists on recent military operations and results recorded by troops.
In recent months, armed groups operating in Nigeria’s North-East region, where the Boko Haram insurgency has lasted for years, have increasingly used drones during attacks on civilians and security personnel. The growing use of drones has raised fears that the groups are gaining access to more advanced technology and supply routes.
Okay News reports that Onoja said the military and relevant agencies were already taking steps to identify where the drones were coming from and to block their use by non-state actors.
“We have reached an advanced stage in taking measures, in conjunction with other Federal Government agencies, to trace where these drones are coming from. I believe that in the next couple of days or months, concrete action will emerge on what we intend to do,” he said.
He added that agencies with the capacity to prevent the use of drones had been contacted, and that the authorities expected decisive steps soon. “The agencies that have capacity to prevent the use of drones have been contacted and we believe that action will be taken very soon on that,” Onoja said.
Onoja also responded to questions about allegations circulating on social media that soldiers stationed at checkpoints in Bauchi State, a state in northern Nigeria, were being forced to pay weekly sums to their commanders. He stressed that the claims remained allegations and said the military would investigate if those making the claims provided verifiable details.
He said the armed forces operate as a transparent institution and assured the public that any proven wrongdoing would be addressed. “If the allegations are found to be true, necessary action will be taken,” he said.
On the reported return of Nigerian refugees from Cameroon, a neighbouring Central African country that has hosted people displaced by violence in Nigeria’s border communities, Onoja said the development pointed to improvements in security in some affected areas. He said the military, alongside the Federal Government, had worked to restore safety for residents to return.
He then gave updates on the Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, a major military campaign in the North-East against Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province and Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, which are armed groups linked to insurgency and attacks in the region. He said troops sustained operational pressure to deny the groups freedom of movement.
According to him, ground forces, working with the Air Component, hybrid forces and local security groups, carried out operations across the theatre, killing several fighters, arresting suspected informants and logistics suppliers, recovering weapons and dismantling networks.
He said troops carried out operations in Gwoza, Damboa, Mobbar, Askira Uba and Konduga local government areas of Borno State, a state at the centre of the North-East conflict. He added that similar operations were conducted in Michika local government area of Adamawa State and Damaturu local government area of Yobe State, both in north-eastern Nigeria. “During the encounters, scores of the terrorists were neutralised, 17 of them were arrested, while 12 kidnapped victims were rescued. The suspects and weapons recovered are in troops’ custody for further action,” he said.
In Plateau State, in Nigeria’s North-Central region, Onoja said troops under Operation Enduring Peace responded to distress calls and carried out offensive operations across Plateau and parts of Kaduna State, a neighbouring state in northern Nigeria. He said extremists were killed during the clashes, 86 other suspects described as criminals were arrested, and 24 kidnapped victims were rescued, while arms and ammunition were recovered.
