Nigeria in May 2026: the most important developments in security
In Nigeria in May 2026, the main security development was a series of joint air operations by the United States and Nigeria against Islamic State fighters in the northeast. On 16 May the two countries announced they had killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the group's second-in-command, in a joint operation. Presidents Donald Trump and Bola Tinubu confirmed the strike, and US Africa Command released video footage. Fresh joint airstrikes followed on 18 May, and on 19 May the Nigerian military announced that they had killed 175 Islamic State militants, including senior leaders, in the northeast. Earlier, on 9 May, the army said it had killed 50 militants in the northeast.
Abductions continued. Gunmen abducted 39 students and 7 teachers in attacks on schools, and suspected militants took students in Borno State, according to residents. In Lagos, police rescued four kidnapped children and reunited them with their parents, without giving details of the abduction, and police confirmed the release of a missing corps member in Abuja and opened an investigation. Reports also said about 100 people were killed in Nigeria by military attacks and gang violence. The army arrested suspected bandits and recovered arms in Kaduna and Abia states.
On drugs, Nigeria reported its largest methamphetamine seizure and arrested the suspected head of a cartel, and the drug agency arrested a Chinese woman with a drug shipment at Lagos airport. Police in Lagos also investigated the murder of two people at a wedding party.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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