The Defence Headquarters has pledged to pursue and neutralise every terrorist group operating in the country — regardless of the name it gives itself — after reports emerged of a new sect called Wulowulo said to be active in Nasarawa State.

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa disclosed the emergence of the group on Monday during a stakeholders’ meeting with security agencies in Lafia, describing Wulowulo as a splinter faction of Boko Haram that has begun to infiltrate the North-Central region.

He warned that the group’s presence could worsen security in the zone and urged tighter countermeasures.

Reacting at a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the DHQ’s Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye, said the military would treat all armed outfits as criminal elements, not by the labels they choose but by the threat they pose.

“Anybody can just jump up and give himself a name or name his group and say he is a splinter from another terrorist organisation. We all know them as criminals, terrorists, and bandits,” Kangye said. “Call yourself whatever name you like — you are a terrorist, you are a bandit, and we will go after you. Our role as the armed forces with terrorists is twofold: it is either we fix an appointment with them and their maker, or we fix it between them and the judicial system.”

Kangye explained that while many crimes fall under police jurisdiction, the military intervenes when the scale or armament of a group exceeds policing capacity.

“The police work is huge. Most of the incidents being reported as terrorism are sometimes just murder cases that can be handled by the police. But when it escalates beyond their scope, the military intervenes,” he said, adding that the military conducts threat assessments and operations based on its strategic plans and operational areas of responsibility.

He gave assurances that current operations across the country would include targeting the newly identified Wulowulo group to restore peace and security.

Recounting recent successes, Kangye said troops of Operation UDO KA sustained offensive operations between 8–13 October 2025, arresting a suspected IPOB/ESN commander known as Gentle and eight others in Owerri West and Mbaitoli local government areas of Imo State, as well as Izzi and Ohaukwu LGAs of Ebonyi State. Weapons, ammunition and a vehicle were recovered, he added.

He further disclosed the arrest of a female IPOB/ESN collaborator in Umunneochi LGA, Abia State, on 13 October 2025.

During the arrest, three children — later linked to a wanted IPOB/ESN leader identified as Maduabuchi Nwankwo (alias Emergency) — were found in her custody, Kangye said.

The suspect is now in custody as investigations continue.

In[b] a related security operation, the Kogi State Government ordered a raid on a suspected bandit hideout on the outskirts of Aherin-Bunu community in Kabba-Bunu LGA.

The joint operation — involving the military, police and vigilante groups and led by the State Security Adviser, Commander Jerry Omodara (retd) — set the camp ablaze.[/b]

Commander Omodara said intelligence indicated two suspected kidnappers — who had sustained gunshot wounds in earlier clashes — were receiving treatment at the camp. He said security personnel acted swiftly to prevent their escape, apprehending the injured suspects and seizing the location used for clandestine treatment.

“Two fake doctors and a nurse who were treating them were also arrested,” Omodara said, adding that the governor, Alhaji Ahmed Ododo, directed that any house used by criminals for treatment must be demolished to deny them safe havens.

He warned that the state would not tolerate safe sanctuaries for criminals, saying: “We will not accept that and we are not going to allow it. Anyone perpetrating crime in Kogi State will be dealt with.”

The DHQ and state security agencies said they will sustain pressure on criminal networks nationwide, intensifying operations to ensure communities are safer and to prevent the spread of emerging threats like Wulowulo.