Four persons identified as family members of Boko Haram terrorists have escaped from insurgent enclaves and surrendered to troops during an ongoing military operation in Borno State.
One of those who surrendered is a 15-year-old boy, Idi Musa, who reportedly fled a terrorist hideout after spending about two years in captivity.
Musa told troops during preliminary interrogation that he was abducted while picking mangoes and subsequently forced to cook for other captives in the enclave.
He reportedly identified a terrorist commander, Idrisa Taklace, as the person who assigned him the cooking duties.
In a separate development, three other individuals identified as members of terrorist families also escaped from an insurgent camp and surrendered to the military.
They were identified as 20-year-old Binta Idrisa, 18-year-old Amina Muhammadu and two-year-old Musa Alhaji.
The development occurred on August 9, 2026, when troops of the 192 Battalion conducting picketing and fighting patrols along the Gwoza-Limankara road intercepted Musa at about 6:25 a.m.
The other three escapees surrendered to troops of the same battalion at about 9:55 a.m. after fleeing an enclave in Chikide, within the Mandara Mountains of Gwoza Local Government Area.
According to a military source on Tuesday, the three escapees said shortages of basic necessities in the terrorist camp prompted them to flee.
The source disclosed that troops recovered an Itel mobile phone from Musa, while ₦9,500 was recovered from the other three escapees.
The four individuals were subsequently screened and documented before being kept in military custody for further necessary action.
The development comes amid intensified military operations across the Gwoza axis, with growing pressure on terrorist enclaves in the Mandara Mountains reportedly creating opportunities for civilians and family members of insurgents to escape.