In a significant breakthrough in the fight against terrorism in the North East, troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have arrested a 15-year-old suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) logistics courier in Ngamdu, Borno. The suspect, identified as Tijjani, was apprehended on Sunday, April 12, 2026 while allegedly attempting to procure logistics for insurgent fighters operating within the NgamduBenisheik corridor.
According to security sources, Tijjani confessed during preliminary interrogation that he participated in the attacks on Benisheik and Ngamdu carried out on Thursday. In a chilling admission, the 15-year-old suspect revealed that he was among the terrorists that attacked the two towns, mobilising from Jilli, a known insurgent stronghold in Gubio Local Government Area. Notably, the suspect stated that the group returned to Jilli after the attack, highlighting the central role of the enclave as a staging ground and supply hub for ISWAP.
Tijjani's arrest provides further insight into the operational and logistics network of ISWAP within the region. The suspect revealed that he was redeployed from Jilli on Saturday with the sum of N850,000 to procure supplies for other fighters. However, he was arrested by troops before he could carry out his mission. The suspect also added that he left behind other fighters at the Jilli enclave but could not confirm their fate following the recent military airstrikes on the area.
The development comes barely 24 hours after the Air Component of OPHK conducted precision airstrikes on the Jilli axis, destroying a major terrorist logistics base and neutralising scores of insurgents. The strikes, which followed sustained Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, targeted a convergence of motorcycles and vehicles identified as belonging to insurgents and their logistics handlers. Field reports indicated that at least two motorcycles and one vehicle were destroyed, while several terrorists were killed in the operation.
The arrest of Tijjani and the recent airstrikes on the Jilli axis demonstrate the military's commitment to dismantling the operational and logistics network of ISWAP in the North East. As the military continues to push against the terrorists, it is essential that the international community provides support to the Nigerian government in its efforts to bring an end to the insurgency. The people of the North East deserve peace and stability, and it is only through collective efforts that this can be achieved.
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