By: Abdullahi InuwaÂ
Maiduguri – Sustained military offensives against Boko Haram strongholds in Borno State have continued to weaken the insurgents’ ranks, with no fewer than 17 family members of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), widely known as Boko Haram, surrendering to troops of Operation HADIN KAI in separate incidents.
The latest development underscores the growing impact of the military’s relentless campaign to dismantle terrorist enclaves across Nigeria’s North-East, as increasing operational pressure forces more insurgents and their relatives to abandon life within the terrorists’ camps.
Military authorities disclosed that the first group of 16 individuals—including 10 women and six children—voluntarily surrendered to troops of the 222 Battalion during a domination patrol along the Gezuwa axis in Konduga Local Government Area on Tuesday morning.
During preliminary interrogation, the women admitted that the continuous bombardment and offensive operations carried out by troops against terrorist hideouts left them with little choice but to flee and surrender. Security personnel also recovered ₦92,000 from the group.
In a related development, an 11-year-old family member linked to the insurgents also surrendered to troops of the 202 Battalion in Bama Local Government Area later the same day.
Military sources said the child equally attributed his decision to leave the terrorists’ enclave to the sustained military onslaught that has intensified across the theatre of operations.
The surrendered individuals are currently undergoing profiling and debriefing in military custody before being transferred to the appropriate authorities for further screening, rehabilitation and reintegration procedures in line with existing protocols.
Operation HADIN KAI described the latest surrender as another indication that its aggressive counter-insurgency campaign is steadily crippling the operational capacity of terrorist groups by disrupting their logistics, communication networks and freedom of movement.
The Joint Task Force reaffirmed that troops would maintain the momentum of ongoing clearance operations across the North-East until all terrorist enclaves are dismantled, while encouraging those still trapped within the camps to surrender through established channels.
Military officials maintained that the campaign against insurgency remains focused on eliminating terrorist threats, protecting civilians and restoring lasting peace to the region.
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