Seventeen relatives of terrorists have surrendered before troops of Operation Hadin Kai following sustained military offensives against insurgent enclaves in Borno State.
The Nigerian Army said the surrendering was another indication that its sustained operations were mounting pressure on terrorist groups, forcing their relatives to voluntarily present themselves to troops for screening and further processing.
According to the Army, 16 of the surrendered individuals were family members of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), while another relative surrendered separately during a different operation.
Military authorities said all 17 individuals are currently in custody, undergoing preliminary profiling and debriefing before being handed over to the appropriate authorities.
The Acting Military Information Officer of Operation Hadin Kai, Capt. Muhammed Goni, disclosed the development in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Goni said the surrender followed sustained offensive operations by troops across the North-East theatre.
“Sustained offensive operations by troops of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) have continued to exert significant pressure on terrorist elements operating across the North-East theatre, resulting in the voluntary surrender of 17 family members of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) in separate incidents in Borno State,” he said.
He explained that the first incident occurred at about 9:15 a.m. on August 4, when 16 JAS family members, comprising 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 of Borno State.
According to him, preliminary debriefing revealed that the continuous military pressure on terrorist hideouts played a major role in their decision to surrender.
“A total sum of ₦92,000 was recovered from the group during the process,” Goni stated.
He added that later the same day, at about 12:04 p.m., an 11-year-old JAS family member also voluntarily surrendered to troops of the 202 Battalion under Sector 1 in Bama Local Government Area.
The Army spokesman said the minor equally attributed his decision to surrender to the sustained operational pressure being mounted by troops against terrorist elements.
He noted that all the surrendered individuals remain in military custody pending further profiling and debriefing.
“They will subsequently be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further profiling, detailed debriefing, rehabilitation processes where applicable, and other necessary administrative procedures in accordance with extant guidelines,” Goni said.
He described the latest surrender as a direct outcome of ongoing operations aimed at dismantling terrorist enclaves, disrupting insurgents’ communication and logistics networks, and denying them freedom of movement across the theatre of operations.
Goni reaffirmed the commitment of Operation Hadin Kai to sustain its offensive against terrorist groups in the North-East.
“Troops will continue to dominate identified operational areas, maintain pressure on terrorist enclaves, and deny criminal elements the freedom to operate, while facilitating the safe and voluntary surrender of those willing to lay down their arms in line with established procedures,” he added.