The Nigerian army has deployed specially trained troops to Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states in an effort to strengthen internal security and stabilise communities battered by armed violence and criminal attacks.
The soldiers, drawn from the Chief of Army Staff Special Intervention Battalion XV, have been sent as a force multiplier to the Joint Task Force, Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), according to a statement posted on X by the army on Tuesday.
The deployment follows the completion of an intensive special forces training programme at the Nigerian Army Training Centre in Kontagora.
In the statement signed by Lt Ahmad Zubairu, acting media information officer of OPWS headquarters, the army said the chief of army staff, Lt Gen Waidi Shuaibu, approved the posting of the newly trained personnel to key operational theatres nationwide, including OPWS.
“In a renewed effort to strengthen internal security and stabilise vulnerable communities, the Nigerian army has deployed COAS Special Intervention Battalion XV, specially trained troops as a force multiplier to the Joint Task Force OPWS,” the statement said.
“The deployment follows the successful completion of an intensive Special Forces training programme conducted at the Nigerian Army Training Centre, Kontagora.”
The army said the troops arrived in the joint operations area in “high morale and combat readiness” and were expected to inject momentum into efforts to dismantle criminal networks, curb insecurity and restore normal life to affected communities.
It added that the deployment was also intended to safeguard farming settlements, protect livelihoods and revive socio-economic activities disrupted by persistent violence.
Maj Gen Moses Gara, the force commander of OPWS, welcomed the troops and urged them to apply the discipline and tactical skills gained during their training, stressing that the operational environment demanded professionalism and decisiveness against armed groups.
The reinforcements were sent a day after a similar deployment to Plateau state, as insecurity continues to spread across Nigeria’s north-central region.
The latest troop movement comes amid renewed condemnation from Christian groups over a fresh wave of killings in Taraba. The Northern Christian Religious Leaders Assembly (NOCRELA) and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) have accused attackers of targeting Tiv Christian communities in Takum and Donga local government areas.
Residents reported that at least seven people were killed on Tuesday near Peva, a major town sheltering more than 30,000 internally displaced persons. The killings, which occurred barely a kilometre from the town, have further worsened an already dire humanitarian situation, locals said.
In a statement signed by its chairman, Rev Micah Dopah, NOCRELA said at least 102 people were killed and more than 31 injured in attacks carried out over a 33-day period between 2 January and 3 February 2026 in Chanchanji district of Takum local government.
The group described the assaults as “continuous, horrific, and targeted”, adding that at least 10 separate attacks were recorded during the period.
CAN, in a separate statement signed by its Taraba chairman, Rev Fr Dr Williams Awoshiri, said at least 25 people were killed in Takum and Donga in just two days. The association said 11 people were killed on Sunday, while 14 others died in further attacks on Tuesday in communities including Adu, Aga, Mbaiyerikyaior, Tse-Nev, Facii, Demevaa and Igbum.
The group said several Catholic parishes and church outstations had been deserted, attacked or shut down, alongside more than 100 other denominational churches across the two local government areas.
CAN said the violence, which it traced back to September, had displaced hundreds of thousands of mostly Christian farmers, many now taking refuge in Peva and Amadu. While acknowledging that the Taraba state government had previously deployed security personnel to the Amadu axis, the association said the intervention lasted only a few days, as killings continued.
