Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), Joint Task Force North East, have rescued 86 kidnapped victims and arrested 29 terrorist logistics suppliers in separate operations across Borno State.
A statement by the Media Information Officer of OPHK, Lt.-Col. Sani Uba, on Sunday, said the troops achieved the feat while conducting counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations in the state.
According to Uba, troops of the 135 Special Forces Battalion under Sector 2, OPHK, encountered Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists on Nov. 9, 2025, at Dutse Kura, after discovering that the insurgents were abducting civilians and vehicles along the Buratai–Kamuya Road.
He said the troops swiftly engaged the terrorists, pursued them towards Mangari, and overpowered them in a follow-up encounter near one of their camps, forcing the insurgents to flee in disarray.
“A search of the area led to the discovery of 11 makeshift terrorists’ structures and the rescue of 86 kidnapped victims, comprising men, women, and children,” Uba said.
He added that troops recovered one AK-47 rifle, five magazines with 73 rounds of ammunition, four PKT ammunition belts, five civilian vehicles, five motorcycles, eight bicycles, and two logistics tricycles.
Uba further disclosed that the terrorists’ camp was destroyed after clearance operations.
“In a related operation, troops deployed at Mangada arrested 29 terrorist logistics suppliers en route to Chilaria with several items, including two pickup vans and a tricycle loaded with Premium Motor Spirit, about 1,000 litres of petrol in jerricans, four gallons of engine oil, two new gun truck tyres, a huge cache of medical consumables, and large quantities of foodstuffs and provisions,” he stated.
He confirmed that all operations were conducted successfully with no casualties recorded on the part of the troops.
The military high command commended the gallantry and professionalism of the soldiers and urged them to sustain the tempo of operations to deny terrorists freedom of action across the North East theatre.
