The military has recorded another significant breakthrough in the fight against insurgency, following the surrender of a senior finance operative of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) to troops of ‘Operation HADIN KAI’ in Borno State.
Key Highlights
- Senior ISWAP finance operative surrenders: A senior finance operative of ISWAP voluntarily surrendered to troops of Operation HADIN KAI in Borno State.
- Wave of terrorist defections: The military disclosed that 46 terrorists and their family members have surrendered in recent days following sustained military offensives.
- Location of surrender: The suspect surrendered on July 25, 2026, along the Ladari–Jegarawa–Tunokalia axis on the Gamboru–Wulgo Main Supply Route.
- Key role in ISWAP: Preliminary investigations indicate the suspect served as the chief finance operative at the ISWAP enclave in Jubillaram, overseeing the group’s finances and logistics.
- Weapons and items recovered: Troops recovered:
- One AK-47 rifle
The development comes amid a growing wave of defections from terrorist ranks, with the military disclosing that about 46 terrorists and their family members have voluntarily surrendered in recent days, a trend it attributed to sustained land and air offensives targeting insurgent strongholds across the North-East.
According to a statement issued on Saturday by the acting Military Information Officer of ‘Operation HADIN KAI’, Captain Mohammed Goni, the senior ISWAP member surrendered to troops of the 3 Battalion under the 24 Task Force Brigade at about 6:45 a.m. on July 25, 2026, along the Ladari–Jegarawa–Tunokalia axis on the Gamboru–Wulgo Main Supply route.
The military said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect served as the chief finance operative of the ISWAP enclave at Jubillaram, where he was responsible for managing the terrorist group’s finances and logistics.
He reportedly surrendered alongside two male children.
Items recovered from the surrendered operative include one AK-47 rifle, four magazines, 101 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, one motorcycle and ₦40,000 in cash.
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The military said the suspect is currently undergoing profiling and interrogation to extract intelligence that will support ongoing counter-terrorism operations and aid in tracking down other insurgents still operating in the region.
‘Operation HADIN KAI’ described the surrender as a major setback for ISWAP, noting that the loss of a key finance operative further weakens the group’s command structure, operational capacity and logistics network.
The command added that the increasing number of recent surrenders reflects growing disillusionment within terrorist camps and signals an accelerating wave of defections among insurgent fighters.
Reaffirming its commitment to restoring peace and stability in the North-East, the military urged remaining terrorists to take advantage of the federal government’s non-kinetic initiatives by surrendering their weapons.
It also appealed to members of the public to continue providing credible and timely information to security agencies to strengthen ongoing counter-terrorism operations.
