Five commanders of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Borno state have surrendered to the Nigerian Army following waves of defection in the North East.
According to the Army, the ISWAP members were part of the 76 terrorists who laid down their arms and surrendered to the troops within the past week, a occurrence which come sequel to a sustained military operations continue to weaken the terrorist group’s leadership structure in the area.
The disclosure was made by the Headquarters Joint Task Force North East, Operation HADIN KAI, in a statement issued on Monday by the Acting Military Information Officer, Captain Mohammed Goni, in Maiduguri, stating that the development reflects the growing impact of Operation HADIN KAI’s offensive campaign against Boko Haram and ISWAP, which has continued to target terrorist strongholds, disrupt supply chains and weaken command structures across the region.
Goni added that persistent operations backed by intelligence have significantly reduced the operational capacity of terrorist groups, leading to declining morale among fighters and senior commanders.
“This latest surrender is a clear indication that the sustained pressure being mounted by troops is yielding positive results,” he said
“Terrorist elements are increasingly finding it difficult to operate, forcing many to abandon the insurgency,” Goni said.
The statement further revealed that the surrendered leaders are currently undergoing profiling, debriefing and other security procedures in line with military protocols.
Also, Goni noted that the continued inflow of defectors underscores the effectiveness of the military’s counter-insurgency strategy, which combines intelligence-driven operations, coordinated joint missions and sustained combat engagements.
“These gains demonstrate that the terrorists’ operational and leadership structures are steadily being dismantled.
“The military remains committed to maintaining pressure on all remaining insurgent elements,” the information officer added.