A senior finance operative of the Islamic State West Africa Province has surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Borno State, marking another breakthrough in the military's counter-insurgency campaign in the North-East.
The Nigerian Army disclosed on Saturday that the suspect turned himself in to soldiers of the 3 Battalion under the 24 Task Force Brigade alongside two male children.
The Acting Military Information Officer of Operation Hadin Kai, Capt. Mohammed Goni, said the surrender occurred around 6:45 a.m. on July 25 along the Ladari–Jegarawa–Tunokalia corridor on the Gamboru–Wulgo Main Supply Route.
According to Goni, preliminary investigations identified the suspect as the chief finance operative of the ISWAP enclave at Jubillaram, where he reportedly handled the group's financial operations and logistics.
He explained that the surrender followed sustained land and air offensives by troops against terrorist hideouts, adding that the military had also recorded the voluntary surrender of about 46 insurgents and their family members in recent days.
Items recovered from the suspect included an AK-47 rifle, four magazines, 101 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, a motorcycle and ₦40,000 in cash.
Goni said the suspect was undergoing profiling and interrogation to obtain intelligence that would assist ongoing operations and aid efforts to track down other members of the terrorist group.
He described the surrender as a major setback for ISWAP, saying it reflected the weakening of the group's command structure, operational capacity and support network under sustained military pressure.
The Army spokesman urged remaining insurgents to embrace the Federal Government's non-kinetic initiatives by laying down their arms, while also calling on members of the public to continue providing credible information to security agencies to strengthen counter-terrorism operations.
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