Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), the Joint Task Force operating in Nigeria’s North East, have achieved another major breakthrough in the fight against insurgency — rescuing 86 kidnap victims and arresting 29 individuals accused of supplying logistics to Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists in Borno State.
This was announced in a statement by Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, the Media Information Officer of OPHK.
According to Uba, on November 9, 2025, soldiers from the 135 Special Forces Battalion, under Sector 2 OPHK, intercepted Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters who were abducting civilians and vehicles along the Buratai–Kamuya Road.
“The troops successfully disrupted the attack, pursued the fleeing terrorists towards Mangari, and engaged them in a follow-up operation near one of their camps. The insurgents were overpowered and fled in disarray,” Uba said.
A subsequent search of the area uncovered 11 makeshift terrorist hideouts, leading to the rescue of 86 abducted persons, including men, women, and children.
Items recovered from the scene included one AK-47 rifle, five magazines loaded with 73 rounds of ammunition, four PKT ammunition belts, five civilian vehicles, five motorcycles, eight bicycles, and two logistics tricycles.
The troops later destroyed the terrorists’ camp on site.
In a separate operation, troops stationed at Mangada apprehended 29 suspected logistics suppliers who were transporting materials to a terrorist enclave in Chilaria.
Recovered from the suspects were two pickup trucks, a tricycle, about 1,000 litres of petrol (PMS), four gallons of engine oil, two brand-new gun truck tyres, a large quantity of medical supplies, and various food items and provisions.
“All operations were executed successfully with no casualties among our troops,” the Army statement added.
The Military High Command praised the courage and professionalism of the troops and urged Operation Hadin Kai to sustain its momentum in denying terrorists freedom of movement and operations across the North East.
