Military airstrike by the Armed Forces of Nigeria has killed over 18 terrorist ring leaders and 42 fighters during a precision operation targeting insurgent hideouts in the Sambisa Forest. The strike, conducted by the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai, dealt a major blow to terrorist factions operating in the North-East, according to the Defence Headquarters.
Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, noting that the sustained operations have denied criminal elements safe havens, restricted their mobility and boosted community confidence in affected areas.
According to him, the operations are part of ongoing efforts by the military to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy, economic stability and the well-being of citizens while countering evolving security threats.
He said troops of the Joint Task Force North East, Operation Hadin Kai, have maintained a robust campaign against remnants of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS).
Onoja disclosed that troops neutralised scores of terrorists, arrested 20 suspects, facilitated the surrender of 11 insurgents with their families and rescued 24 kidnapped victims during the operations.
Providing further details, he said troops on February 28, 2026 arrested two suspected terrorist collaborators in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State.
“The suspects confessed to facilitating the sale of rustled cattle, purchasing fuel and providing other logistics for terrorists. Under the troops’ guidance, they led forces to uncover a hidden storage facility containing terrorist medical supplies, although the storekeeper fled before the troops arrived. The suspects and recovered items are currently in custody,” he said.
On the same day, troops arrested a suspected kidnapper in Ajiwango Village in Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State.
According to the statement, the suspect admitted belonging to a five-man syndicate responsible for abducting five victims and collecting a ransom of N3 million. He is currently in custody while efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining members of the gang.
Also on February 28, troops conducting offensive operations in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State repelled a terrorist attack on their position.
“In the ensuing firefight, scores of terrorists were neutralised while sophisticated weapons and a cache of ammunition were recovered,” Onoja said.
Similarly, on March 1, 2026, troops in Nganzai Local Government Area engaged terrorists who deployed armed drones against troops’ positions.
The encounter, according to the military, resulted in the killing of several terrorists and the recovery of arms, ammunition, anti-tank bombs, locally fabricated mortar bombs, armed drones and materials used for manufacturing improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
In a related development, the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai carried out precision strikes on terrorist structures within the Sambisa Forest.
Battle Damage Assessment confirmed the neutralisation of top terrorist ring leaders identified as Saddam, Saleh Garin Kago and Ba Alayi Benbem, alongside a fighter, Hussaini Ubaida.
Onoja added that further human intelligence reports indicate that the precision strike conducted on March 2, 2026 eliminated more than 18 terrorist ring leaders and 42 fighters.
He said the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of joint air-ground coordination in targeting high-value terrorist leadership within the insurgents’ strongholds.
