The Armed Forces of Nigeria have recorded another significant breakthrough in the ongoing counter-terrorism campaign in the North-East, following the surrender of a senior finance operative of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) to troops of Operation HADIN KAI.
The Acting Military Information Officer, Captain Mohammed Goni, disclosed this in a statement, noting that the latest development comes amid a growing wave of terrorist surrenders, with about 46 terrorists and their family members voluntarily laying down their arms in recent days as sustained military offensives continue to weaken insurgent strongholds.
According to the statement, the senior ISWAP operative surrendered to troops of 3 Battalion under the 24 Task Force Brigade at about 6:45 a.m. on Saturday, July 25, 2026, along the Ladari–Jegarawa–Tunokalia axis on the Gamboru–Wulgo Main Supply Route.
The military said preliminary profiling identified the surrendered terrorist as the chief finance operative of the ISWAP enclave at Jubillaram, where he managed the group’s financial operations and logistics. He reportedly surrendered alongside two male children.
Items recovered from him include one AK-47 rifle, four magazines, 101 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, one motorcycle and ₦40,000 in cash.
The Theatre Command stated that the suspect is currently undergoing detailed profiling and interrogation to extract actionable intelligence that will support ongoing operations and aid the targeting of other terrorist elements operating within the North-East theatre.
Operation HADIN KAI described the surrender as a major setback for ISWAP, saying it reflects the continued degradation of the group’s command structure, operational capability and logistics network under sustained land and air offensives by Nigerian troops.
The military also noted that the increasing number of terrorists surrendering indicates growing disillusionment within insurgent ranks and an accelerating wave of defections from terrorist camps.
Reaffirming its commitment to restoring lasting peace, security and stability across the North-East, the Theatre Command urged remaining terrorists to embrace the Federal Government’s non-kinetic initiatives by surrendering their arms. It also appealed to members of the public to continue providing timely and credible intelligence to support ongoing counter-terrorism operations.
