Manny Ita –
A 15-year-old suspected logistics courier working for the Islamic State West Africa Province has been apprehended by troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Ngamdu, Borno State, in what security sources describe as a significant breakthrough.
The teenager was reportedly intercepted while attempting to acquire supplies for insurgents operating along the Ngamdu–Benisheik corridor. During preliminary questioning, he allegedly admitted to playing a role in recent attacks in both communities.
Investigations revealed that the operations were coordinated from Jilli, an insurgent stronghold in Gubio Local Government Area. According to the suspect, fighters involved in the attacks moved out from Jilli and later regrouped there after carrying out their missions.
He further disclosed that he had been dispatched from the enclave with ₦850,000 to source logistics for the group. While confirming that several fighters were still at the location, he said he was unaware of their current condition following recent military bombardments.
Security officials noted that the arrest has offered fresh insight into the group’s supply chain and operational structure, reinforcing intelligence that identifies Jilli as a central hub for coordination.
The arrest comes on the heels of precision airstrikes by the air component of Operation Hadin Kai targeting terrorist positions around the Jilli axis. The strikes, which followed sustained surveillance, reportedly destroyed vehicles and motorcycles used by insurgents and neutralised several fighters.
Amid the ongoing offensive, the Nigerian Air Force has opened an investigation into claims of civilian casualties from the airstrikes, as the military continues its combined air and ground campaign against insurgency in the region.
