Nigerian Army troops have rescued 119 civilians who were being abducted by terrorists on a highway in Borno State in the country's northeast, and recovered eight vehicles the attackers had seized, the army said in an operational report released on Saturday, November 7 and carried by Nigerian media on Sunday. The rescue was carried out on Friday by troops of the 135 Special Forces Battalion, of the 27 Task Force Brigade, Sector 2, along the Dutsen Kura-Bulazarma-Kamuya road.

Source: THR News, Nov 8 2026 — Troops rescue 119 kidnap victims, recover eight vehicles in Borno (Nigerian Army operational report)

The rescued travellers comprised 69 men, 35 women and 15 children, according to a military source cited in the reports. All 119 were safely rescued and reunited with their families, and the eight recovered vehicles were taken back from the scene, the army said. The figures come from the army's own operational report and have not been independently verified.

Source: National Update, Nov 8 2026 — Army rescues 119 abducted travellers, recovers eight vehicles in Borno

How the rescue unfolded

According to the operational report, the troops were monitoring surveillance cameras along the route when they sighted terrorists blocking the road and abducting civilians and their vehicles. The soldiers mobilised through Mangari-Dora, in Biu Local Government Area, and intercepted the attackers before the captives could be taken away. While withdrawing from the operation, the troops found an improvised explosive device (IED) around the Bam Buratai junction-Bulazarma area and detonated it, the report said.

Source: Political Economist NG, Nov 8 2026 — Troops rescue 119 abducted civilians, foil officer's kidnapping in multi-state operations

Same report: an arrest, a surrender and a foiled Abuja abduction

The same operational report described several other actions. On November 5, troops working with members of the Hybrid Force arrested a suspected terrorist informant and collaborator in Ngamdu Town, Borno State. Separately, a suspected fighter of Jama'atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda'Awati Wal-Jihad (JAS) surrendered to troops of the 202 Battalion at Ngurusoye village in Bama Local Government Area.

Source: THR News, Nov 8 2026 — Troops rescue 119 kidnap victims, recover eight vehicles in Borno (Nigerian Army operational report)

In the capital, Abuja, troops of the Army Headquarters Garrison responded at about 4:05 a.m. on Saturday to an attack at Kurudu Phase Five, where assailants tried to kidnap a retired senior military officer and his son. The troops' intervention forced the attackers to flee, the army said, though the two victims sustained knife injuries to their shoulders and heads.

Source: Political Economist NG, Nov 8 2026 — Troops rescue 119 abducted civilians, foil officer's kidnapping in multi-state operations

Borno State has been the centre of the insurgency waged in northeast Nigeria since 2009 by Boko Haram and its offshoots, including JAS and the Islamic State West Africa Province, in which highway abductions of travellers have been a recurring tactic. The army said its troops remain on surveillance and clearance operations along the route and across the state.