The Nigerian military says troops attached to the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI, have rescued six abducted women and children, killed suspected insurgents and arrested alleged collaborators during a series of coordinated operations across the north-east.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the military said the operations were carried out under Operation DESERT SANITY, part of an intensified campaign targeting Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) strongholds in the region.
According to the statement, troops acting on what the military described as “credible intelligence” launched an operation on 14 May along the Amuda–Gava corridor in the Mandara Mountains area, where they intercepted and rescued six captives allegedly held by insurgents after an earlier attack on Ngoshe community in Borno state.
The rescued victims were identified as Amina Salihu, 52, Aishatu Musa, 50, nine-year-old twins Hassana and Hussaina Abubakar, alongside Adamu Zakariyya, 12, and Usman Zakariyya, 10.
The military said the victims were received by the Commander of the 26 Task Force Brigade, Brigadier General Nasirudeen Abdullahi, before undergoing medical checks at the brigade’s reception facility. They were later reunited with their families through local community leaders and clerics in Ngoshe.
Army authorities said at least 60 women and children had now been rescued since the 3 March attack on the community, adding that operations to locate other abducted residents were continuing.
“The troops will sustain ongoing rescue operations until all abducted persons are safely reunited with their families,” the statement said.
The army also reported further operations in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno state, where troops reportedly killed two suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters during raids on Bazamri village.
Military officials said logistics supplies, including detergent, salt and cartons of spaghetti allegedly intended for insurgents, were recovered during the operation. No casualties were recorded among government forces, according to the statement.
Elsewhere, troops stationed at the Mainé checkpoint in neighbouring Yobe state arrested a 30-year-old suspect, Ibrahim Alhaji Julo, accused of collaborating with insurgents.
The army alleged that the suspect was intercepted in a red Volkswagen Golf vehicle bearing Bauchi registration number KTG-397AA and was believed to have used the vehicle to transport insurgents and facilitate illegal taxation activities in affected communities.
Security personnel reportedly recovered a mobile phone and cash from the suspect, who remains in custody pending further investigation.
The military said it remained committed to “dismantling terrorist networks, rescuing abducted civilians and restoring lasting peace and economic stability” across the north-east, where insurgency has persisted for more than a decade.
Military authorities also praised troops for what they described as professionalism and resilience in ongoing counterinsurgency operations.
