Nigeria's Defence Headquarters has presented its monthly briefing on the fight against insecurity, saying that security forces intensified offensives across the country's six geopolitical zones during the period, leading to major gains. The briefing was described as the defence headquarters rolling out its results sheet in the fight against insecurity in the country.
Among the results highlighted in the report is the killing of Abu Salim Al-Barnawi, who was described as a senior Boko Haram commander and propaganda chief. According to the briefing, he was neutralised during a failed terrorist attack in the Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State in July 2026.
The defence headquarters said that on the 12th of the month, troops countered a Boko Haram attack in the Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State. It was in the process of repelling that attack that the forces neutralised Abu Salim Al-Barnawi, whom the briefing again identified as a senior terrorist commander and propaganda chief.
Alongside that operation, the defence headquarters reeled out its operational record for the month of July. According to the figures presented, troops neutralised over 102 terrorists and criminals during the month, as part of the wider offensives carried out across the country's geopolitical zones.
The briefing also reported the arrest of 345 suspected terrorists and criminals during the same period. In addition, the security forces said that they rescued 393 kidnapped victims, presenting these figures as part of the month's gains in the fight against insecurity across the country.
The breakdown further included 57 insurgents who surrendered to troops during July. The defence headquarters said that 59 arms and 111 rounds of ammunition were recovered, along with weapons stores, as part of the operations that were conducted over the course of the month.
The defence headquarters presented the briefing as its regular monthly account of the security situation, tying the killing of the Boko Haram commander to the broader operational figures for July. Taken together, the report was framed as evidence of the gains that the security forces say they made in the fight against insecurity across Nigeria.