By Deborah Nnamdi
The Defence Headquarters on Friday confirmed the arrest of a Chinese national during a counter-terrorism operation carried out by troops in Borno State.
While the foreigner’s identity has not been made public, the military stated that the individual—who claimed to be a miner—is currently in custody and undergoing interrogation.
This development follows closely on the heels of the military’s announcement less than a week ago that four Pakistani nationals had been detained in the same region for allegedly training terrorists.
During a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, also disclosed that five individuals suspected of supplying logistics to terrorists were apprehended.
“Troops arrested five terrorists logistics suppliers, collaborators, and a Chinese national claiming to be a miner during well-coordinated operations conducted in Kukawa and Ngala LGAs of Borno State, as well as Geidam LGA of Yobe State between 5 and 7 June 2025. Amongst the items recovered were a vehicle, a motorcycle, mobile phones, a Chinese International passport, while the sum of N10,000.00 was also recovered from them.”
Kangye questioned the suspect’s presence in an area under military operation.
He said, “Anybody that is caught, just like you know with criminals, they will just deny involvement. But the question is: what brought him there at the time of arrest? Why was he in an operational area where our troops were conducting operations?”
Kangye assured journalists that a full investigation is underway to determine the suspect’s intentions and possible links to insurgent groups.
“The Chinese national has been detained and is undergoing interrogation. Once the investigation is concluded, we will furnish the public with full details—why he was there, how he was arrested, and whether he had accomplices,” he added.
He also rejected allegations that troops are frequently slow to respond to distress calls during attacks, particularly in remote areas.
Kangye called the claims misleading, explaining that factors like challenging terrain and the need for coordination impact how quickly troops can respond.
“People must understand that our troops are not in every village.
“Sometimes, incidents occur 10 to 15 kilometres from the nearest military base. Before deployment, the appropriate subunit must be identified, a commander appointed, and vehicles and supplies secured. All of this takes time.”
He likened the situation to a hospital attending to multiple patients with varying degrees of urgency.
“You might feel neglected if you don’t understand the internal priorities, but it doesn’t mean action isn’t being taken, “he added.
Kangye maintained that all distress calls are being addressed and assured the public of the military’s commitment to protecting citizens and neutralizing threats.
“Let’s not rush to label our troops as slow. They are working under tough conditions, and I can assure you—they respond when called upon,” Kangye said.
