Two top terrorist commanders have surrendered to troops in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The disclosure was made in a statement by the spokesperson for Operation Hadin Kai, Mohammed Goni.
Mr Goni said the two terrorists, identified as Munzirs within the terrorist leadership structure, were now in military custody.
He said, “The surrendered terrorists, identified as Munzirs within the terrorist leadership structure, arrived at Maiduguri at approximately 1930 hours on 5 June 26 and are currently in military custody undergoing detailed profiling, debriefing and intelligence exploitation.”
Mr Goni said preliminary interrogation indicated that the two commanders occupied influential positions in their group and possessed extensive knowledge of the group’s operational activities, command structure and logistics network.
He added that initial intelligence obtained from the debriefing provided valuable insights into the terrorists’ operational methods, sustainment mechanisms and support networks.
“The information is expected to significantly enhance ongoing intelligence-led operations aimed at locating, disrupting and dismantling remaining terrorist enclaves across the North East theatre,” he added.
The spokesperson said the surrender of the two commanders represented another major setback for the terrorist group and further validated the effectiveness of the sustained offensive operations being conducted by Operation Hadin Kai troops in conjunction with partner security agencies.
He said relentless military pressure, supported by coordinated land and air operations and enhanced intelligence efforts, continued to deny the terrorists freedom of movement, degrade their combat capability and weaken their command-and-control structures.
“Terrorist leaders and fighters are finding continued resistance untenable, compelling them to abandon the insurgency and surrender to troops,” he said.