Linus Aleke in Abuja
The Joint Task Force (North East), Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), has recorded another major breakthrough in its counter-terrorism campaign, with top Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commanders abandoning their enclaves and surrendering to troops following sustained military operations across North-East.
This latest breakthrough, the military said was driven by credible, timely and actionable intelligence.
The military also revealed that the surrender of the senior terrorist leaders comes amid intensified operations by Operation Hadin Kai, which have continued to weaken the insurgents’ operational capacity and dismantle their command structures.
Confirming the development, the Acting Military Information Officer of Joint Task Force North East Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, said the surrendered commanders were being processed in line with established military procedures.
According to him, they “are currently in a secure location undergoing profiling, debriefing and other established procedures in accordance with extant operational protocols.”
“The latest surrender underscores the impact of the military’s sustained offensive, which has continued to dismantle terrorist strongholds, disrupt command and logistics networks, and deny insurgents freedom of movement across the theatre. The persistent operations have also significantly degraded the terrorists’ fighting capability while weakening morale within their ranks and leadership,” the statement added.
The military disclosed that, within the last week alone, 76 terrorist foot soldiers, along with some of their family members, surrendered to troops.
It noted that the operational gains reflect the effectiveness of the Nigerian military’s comprehensive counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency strategy, which combines precision combat operations, intelligence-led engagements and coordinated joint efforts with partner agencies.
Operation Hadin Kai, it added, remains committed to its mission of defeating terrorism and restoring lasting peace and security across North-East, stressing that military pressure on the remaining terrorist elements would continue unabated until they are either neutralised or compelled to surrender.
