By Deborah Nnamdi
Troops of the Northeast Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), have neutralized five terrorists belonging to Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) during operations at Sabsawa village in Borno State.
The troops, under Sector 1 of Operation Hadin Kai, carried out offensive and aggressive operations on February 20 and 21, 2026, successfully foiling an attempted terrorist attack before engaging the insurgents in a gun battle.
OPHK Media Information Officer, Lt.-Col. Sani Uba, disclosed in a statement issued on Saturday in Maiduguri that ground troops responded with superior firepower after making contact with suspected terrorists near Sabsawa village, forcing them to retreat in disarray. During subsequent exploitation of the area, five of the insurgents were confirmed killed.
In a related operation, troops deployed at Ngurosoye in Bama Local Government Area rescued three abducted children on the outskirts of the Subsawa terrorists’ hideouts. The rescued minors—Abba Abba, 12; Fatima Abba, 8; and Aisha Abba, 6—are from the same family in Subsawa village.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the children were abducted about two months ago along the Gubio axis by suspected terrorists and later moved to Bula-Daloye. The victims have since been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for further necessary action.
Meanwhile, troops also recorded the surrender of an 18-year-old suspected terrorist, Abubakar Abubakar, at Geidam in Yobe State. He is currently in military custody undergoing profiling.
The military high command commended the troops for their sustained morale and operational efficiency, assuring that pressure would be maintained on terrorist elements until lasting peace and economic stability are restored in the Northeast.
