By Olayemi Esan
- January 2025 to date, over 186 terrorist logistics suppliers, spies and collaborators
- 18 Soldiers, 15 Policemen Arrested For Selling Arms To Terrorists
- 12 drone incidents since 2004 to date
- 1,450 terrorists are awaiting trial
The Nigerian Armed Forces troops operating in the North East under Operation Hadin Kai have stepped up their security measures to prevent attacks by insurgents in the region. The troops have heightened surveillance, patrol, and ambush operations to ensure the safety of civilians and prevent the insurgents from carrying out their nefarious activities.
The increased military presence is aimed at disrupting the insurgents' plans and preventing them from launching attacks on innocent civilians. The Operation Hadin Kai troops are working tirelessly to gather intelligence and track down the insurgents, aiming to neutralise the threat they pose to the region.
The team lead, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Abu-Mawashi, the deputy director Defence Media Operations at the Defence Headquarters, said the media tour was the brainchild of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, to equip Defence Correspondents with first-hand information of what the military was doing.
A visit to the Theatre Command, North East Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai, the Theatre Commander, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, said the Joint Task Force North-East operation was organised to effectively curtail the activities of the insurgents across the entire territory.
Major General Abubakar said the operations were being hampered by some factors such as drone attacks by terrorists, activities of fifth columnists and planting of IEDs.
According to him, in a recent attack on Kukawa, the Nigerian troops, with the support of air components, defeated the terrorist onslaught, recovering two motorcycles and neutralising 28 terrorists.
“Furthermore, the terrorists have continued to attack isolated communities in search of logistics, equipment of fighters, close-ledger, and outdoor high-value targets. This threat profile suggests desperation of JAS and ISWAP leaders to reassess themselves, demonstrate strength, recruit more fighters, and amass logistics infrastructure for future offensive across the theatre,’’ he said.
Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar also revealed that the infiltration of foreign mercenaries in the joint operations area has significantly escalated the threat posed by terrorist groups like the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Jamatu Ahli Al-Sunna lil Da’wa Wal Jihad (JAS).
Maj.-Gen. Abubakar said the foreign mercenaries facilitate tactical and strategic training for these terrorists, leading to the use of drones in the theatre. He highlighted the arrest of four Pakistani nationals involved in arms running with the terrorists.
He said the infiltration of foreign mercenaries in the joint operations area has significantly escalated the threat posed by terrorist groups like ISWAP and JAS. The recent arrest of four Pakistani nationals, whose initial investigation suggests that they deal in arms running with terrorists, is instructive. It suffices to mention that the foreign mercenaries facilitate tactical and strategic training for these terrorists,” Abubakar said.
He added that the recent development of armed drones for attacks and surveillance on troops potentially illustrates the refinement of the terrorist tactics, techniques, and procedure by mercenaries advanced improvised explosive device fabrication and placement of public traps, The growing influence of these mercenaries is evident in the terrorists’ increasing coordinated assets resulting in higher casualties among troops and greater equipment losses.
“This alarming trend calls for an immediate coordinated response, including intensified intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations, as well as strong collaboration between Nigeria and neighbouring nations to disrupt the cross-border support network,” Abubakar said.
According to him, the Boko Haram/Islamic States West African Province terrorists were not waging war against the armed forces but against Nigeria. He said the war against insurgency was an asymmetric warfare that was difficult to fight, urging the media to treat terrorism as a war against the nation.
During the briefing on the theatre activities of the Joint Task Force North-East operation from 2024 to 2025, it was revealed that under Operation Snowball, which was launched in August 2024 to counter-ammunition racketeering in the theatre, 18 serving soldiers, 15 Policemen and 8 civilians, including a traditional ruler were arrested for allegedly selling arms to non-state actors.
The operation was being conducted across 11 states with suspects arrested in Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Enugu, Lagos, Plateau, Kaduna, Rivers, Taraba and the Federal Capital Territory.
One Sgt. Ameh Raphael, an armourer of 7th Division Garrison, who has been in the trade since 2018, and Sgt. Seidi Adamu of 3rd Division Ordnance Services, who has also been in the trade since 2022, had over N45 million and N34 million respectively in their accounts.
Investigation also revealed that a whopping sum of N135 million was discovered to have passed through the account of a policeman identified as Insp. Enoch Ngwa, who was arrested for arms racketeering.
From January 2025 to date, over 186 terrorist logistics suppliers, spies and collaborators have been arrested across the theatre of operation. Speaking further, the Command expressed concern over the proliferation of drugs and narcotics, which enhances terrorist operational capabilities.
He said to counter this threat, the Joint Intelligence Mission Centre, a military intelligence base, and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intensified efforts to disrupt these networks.
He further lamented the activities of fifth columnists undermining the overall success of Operation Hadin Kai.
Additionally, a few soldiers motivated by greed are involved in an ammunitions racketeering, deliberately diverting arms from the military stockpiles and supply chains to terrorists. Such actions erode battlefield morale, reduce troops’ effectiveness, and strengthen enemy resistance.
The most recent incident occurred on 24th February this year when a soldier of 144 Battalion was arrested with 30 rounds of 7.62mm specials at Tashin-Karo Kano by a military police K-19 on route search operations.
Consequently, the theatre has continued to warn troops at all levels of the severe repercussions and sanctions of ammunition racketeering. Those found culpable have been dismissed and handed over to the police to serve as a deterrent,” he said.
Highlighting the Theatre’s achievements, the Theatre Commander, Maj. Gen Abubakar recalled that terrorists in May 2024, issued a vacation order, leading to a mass exodus of civilians in Kukawa town. However, the operation Hadin Kai subsequently issued an operational order for stabilisation operation mobilising seven excavators, construction of watch towers, surveillance masts and barricades.
He said that the operation successfully led to the return of over 10,000 locals to their ancestral homes. Troops of Operation Hadin Kai killed 694 terrorists, and recovered 603 assault weapons,56 RPG bombs,16 mortar bombs, 147,137 units of anti-aircraft weapons, 16 pick-up vehicles, among others.
He further said the Joint Task Force has recorded over 12 drone incidents since 2004 to date.
He revealed that as a counter measure, the Nigerian Army in 2022 established the Nigerian Army’s Unmanned Aerial Base Command which has continued to play a vital role in support of ongoing operations across the theatre.
“The command has carried out 1,138 intelligence surveillance reconnaissance missions, covering a total time of 10,033 flight hours,” he said.
Addressing Journalist North East Operation Hadin Kai Chief of Staff, Operation Hadin Kai, Brig.-Gen. Adamu Ibrahim, explaining why female terrorists were not being killed or prosecuted, said that Nigeria was a signatory to the international law of armed conflict. He said that the law explicitly protects combatants who are no longer actively participating in the fighting, as well as women and children.
A visit to the Forward Operation Base (FOB) Tungushe, a community in Konduga Local Government and Molai in Jere Local Government Area of Borno, on Wednesday, revealed the proactive posture of the troops, in high spirits and focused on winning the war.
Briefing Defence Correspondents, on behalf of the Theatre Commander, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, the Commanding Officer, 212 Battalion, Lt.-Col. Christian Okupe, explained that the major assignment of the FOB Tungushe was to ensure that the locals were protected and safe to carry out their farming activities without fear of attacks by Boko Haram terrorists.
Also, the Commanding Officer, Forward Operating Base (FOB) Tongushe, Capt. Kabiru Musa said their major tasks were to defend the civilians and make sure that they carried out their farming activities and other day-to-day activities without hitches. He said the troops undertake patrols to provide cover for their farms. He also commended the people for their collaboration and support in the area of actionable intelligence.
Speaking on behalf of the community, Mallam Baba Adamu, a Head Teacher, commended the efforts of the military securing the community which enable them to carry out their farming activities. He called on the government to assist the community with portable water and put in more effort in taming the activities of the herdsmen, who, he said, usually disturb their crops.
At Forward Operation Base (FOB) Molai in Jere local government area, the Acting Commanding Officer, Major Darush Yusuf, said the troops successfully engaged and neutralised the terrorists at their crossing point in Kumala to Sambisa forest, recovering six 105mm howitzer bombs from the terrorists.
He said, "The mode of our operation here is a `do or die` affair because the army has given us everything we need to fight this war, and we are grateful for that.
"Our equipment is 100 per cent and all the soldiers are happy with their welfare from the Nigerian army,’’
As for the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Resettlement, Borno State, Ali Gonilawan said the military had done well in dealing with the terrorists.
Gonilawan said the efforts of the military had helped the government to continue with the construction of 500 housing units in Dalwa community for the resettlement of the internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). He said that by collaborating with other stakeholders, like the military, they succeeded in actually bringing our people down to these communities, where we resettled them with the support of the military.
A visit to the Joint Investigation Centre (JIC), a total of 1,450 terrorists are awaiting trial, upon completion, those not involved were rehabilitated, some sent for deradicalisation, while the active members of terrorist groups were sent to the Giwa Centre in Kainji for trial.
The Acting Commander JIC, Colonel AU Ahmed, ably represented by Captain Olugbenga Adeniyi said the 1,450 terrorists were part of the 1,877 terrorists being investigated at the Centre for their involvement in terrorism activities.
“After the investigation, the Complex Casework Group (CCG) carries out the review of the investigation reports and offers the necessary legal advice. Based on the result of the investigations and the legal review, the detainees are categorised into 3 groups, which are Prosecution, Rehabilitation and Reintegration.
“Those recommended for prosecution are taken to Giwa Project in Kainji, those for rehabilitation are moved to the Operation SAFE CORRIDOR, and those for reintegration are handed over to the Borno State Government,” he said.
He added that the Centre found it difficult to access witnesses during the investigation and trial. The Centre faces difficulty in securing most of the witnesses who would have aided the investigations. This is partly due to a lack of accessibility by own investigators to most of the areas of arrest or crime scene, and unwillingness of some witnesses to come forward and testify.
The North East region has been a hotbed of insurgency for several years, with various groups causing harm to civilians and disrupting the peace. However, with the heightened security measures put in place by the Nigerian Armed Forces, residents of the region can rest assured that everything is being done to keep them safe.
The military's efforts to combat insurgency in the North East are yielding positive results, with several insurgents having been neutralised in recent operations. The Operation Hadin Kai troops remain committed to their mandate of protecting the lives and property of Nigerians and will continue to work towards restoring peace and stability to the region.
In conclusion, the Nigerian Armed Forces' intensified operations in the North East are a welcome development in the fight against insurgency. The military's efforts to prevent attacks and protect civilians are commendable, and residents of the region can be assured of their safety.