Troops take custody of suspected army deserter arrested by police in Plateau

Nigerian troops of Operation Enduring Peace have taken custody of a suspected Nigerian Army deserter.

The suspect was arrested by the police during a raid operation in Pankshin Local Government Area of Plateau State.

This was disclosed in a post on X on Friday by Zagazola Makama, a security and counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad region.

Makama, citing intelligence sources, stated that the soldier, identified as Yakubu Bilal, was arrested by operatives of the Keystone Police Division during a raid in Pankshin on Wednesday.

Following the arrest, troops of Sector 8 of Operation Enduring Peace moved to the police station and took custody of the suspect for further military investigation.

According to the report, preliminary investigation revealed that the soldier allegedly deserted from his unit, 24 Task Force Brigade, in 2024 and had since been absent without official authorisation.

Military sources said contact has been established with the soldier’s parent unit to facilitate the necessary administrative and disciplinary procedures.

The suspect is currently being held at the Headquarters of Sector 8, Operation Enduring Peace, in Mangu, where further investigation is ongoing.