Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have intensified their crackdown on terrorist elements in the North East, successfully disrupting key supply routes and arresting several suspects linked to insurgent logistics in Borno and Adamawa States.
This was disclosed in a statement on Friday by Lt.-Col. Sani Uba, Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai.
According to Uba, the operations — conducted under the ongoing Desert Sanity IV campaign — have significantly degraded the ability of insurgents to sustain their operations, particularly in the areas of fuel smuggling and bomb-making materials.
“In the last one week, troops intercepted 21 jerricans of smuggled petrol in separate operations around the Mubi axis of Adamawa State,” the statement read.
Troops also uncovered large quantities of urea fertiliser at the Mubi Central Market on September 21 and 24 — a substance often used in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The materials were reportedly abandoned by fleeing suppliers.
Uba noted that the seizures delivered a significant blow to the insurgents’ logistics chain and IED production capabilities.
In another operation on September 22, troops of the 73 Battalion, working in conjunction with the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and Hybrid Forces, ambushed suspected Boko Haram fighters at Kolori Karumi, near the Alau Dam in Borno State. During the encounter, a suspected Boko Haram scout was neutralised.
On September 23, troops of the 112 Task Force Battalion stationed at Ngwom apprehended a 54-year-old suspect, Thomas James, found with 23 bottles of petrol concealed in a travel bag while attempting to travel to Gamboru Ngala. Preliminary investigations linked James to a terrorist fuel supply network.
On September 24, troops of the 232 Battalion, in collaboration with local hunters, arrested Ahmadu Buba, a 31-year-old Boko Haram member in Garkida, Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
Buba, from Damboa, reportedly confessed to joining the terror group in April and taking part in attacks in Mandaragirau as well as the destruction of the Mandahuma Bridge earlier this year.
Lt.-Col. Uba said the military high command has commended the troops for their vigilance and operational successes, urging them to maintain the momentum in order to further weaken terrorist infrastructure and networks in the region.
“These operations are part of continued efforts to deny terrorists freedom of action and eliminate threats to peace and security in the North East,” the statement concluded.
