The Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar has admitted that foreign mercenaries are infiltrating the military’s operations.
According to him, the intrusion of the foreign mercenaries in the joint operations area of the military has significantly escalated the threat posed by terrorist groups like Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Jamatu Ahli Al-Sunna lil Da’wa Wal Jihad (JAS) better known as Boko Haram.
He said the foreign mercenaries facilitate tactical and strategic training for these terrorists, leading to the use of drones in the theatre.
Abubakar stated this while speaking with Defence Correspondents who are on a media tour of the theatre of operation on Tuesday in Maiduguri, Borno State, the epicenter of Boko Haram insurgency.
He highlighted the arrest of four Pakistani nationals involved in arms running with the terrorists.
He said, “The recent development of armed drones for attacks and surveillance on troops potentially illustrate the refinement of the terrorist tactics, techniques, and procedure by mercenaries versed in advanced improvised explosive device fabrication and placement of public traps.
“The growing influence of these mercenaries is evident in the terrorists’ increasing coordinated assets, resulting in higher casualties among troops and greater equipment losses.”
To contain the situation, Maj.-Gen. Abubakar called for an immediate coordinated response, including intensified intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations and strong collaboration between Nigeria and neighbouring nations to disrupt the cross-border support network.
According to him, Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists are not waging war against the armed forces but against Nigeria.
He said the war against insurgency was an asymmetric warfare that was difficult to wage and urged the media to treat terrorism as a war against the nation.
The theatre commander said that troops had continued to make sacrifices to ensure that communities affected by the activities of Boko Haram/ISWAP were stabilised.
He said the military had also ensured that human rights were upheld in all the lines of operation.
“We have our troops here in the field spreading to different locations during these harsh weather conditions, which can rapidly become very cold at night.
So there are heroes, and I tell you, we will do them well to appreciate them occasionally, and the only way to do that is through the media.
“These are also Nigerians, and it is not the terrorists against the armed forces. It is the terrorists against Nigeria as a nation.
“So once we begin to understand this and have a common front, we will be able to make very tangible progress,’’ he said.
The Chief of Staff, Operation Hadin Kai, Brig.-Gen. Adamu Ibrahim, explaining why female terrorists were not being killed or prosecuted, said that Nigeria was a signatory to international laws of armed conflict.
Ibrahim said that the law explicitly protects combatants who are no longer actively participating in the fighting as well as women and children.
According to him, Boko Haram insurgents are Nigerian citizens and they are fully eligible to have wives and children.
“As long as their wives and children do not take up arms and engage in direct combat operations in this, then they are not Boko Haram combatants.
“The Nigerian military fully enforces and upholds human rights laws, and as such, we would not violate the laws against the Boko Haram by engaging their families,’’ he said.
18 soldiers, 15 policemen Nabbed Selling arms To Boko Haram
Staff Officer Grade Two, Operation Hadin Kai, Maj. Ademola Owolana, disclosed that their operations were being hampered by a number of factors such as drone attacks by terrorists, activities of traitors and planting of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
He said the troops had continued to show resilience in defeating the terrorists across the theatre of operation, with several successes recorded so far.
He revealed that 18 serving soldiers and 15 policemen have been arrested for selling arms to non-state actors.
According to him, the successes were recorded under Operation Snowball, which was launched in August 2024 to counter ammunition racketeering in the theatre.
He said the operation is being conducted across 11 states with suspects arrested in Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Enugu, Lagos, Plateau, Kaduna, Rivers, Taraba and the Federal Capital Territory.
“So far, a total of 18 soldiers, 15 mobile policemen, and 8 civilians, including a traditional ruler, have been arrested.
“Preliminary findings from the ongoing investigation reveal community pressure on serving security personnel to supply arms and ammunition for communal conflicts as driving factors.
“It is also worth mentioning that the lucrative nature of trading in ammunition is also a driving factor for its persistence,”.
He said one Sgt. Ameh Raphael, Armourer of 7th Division Garrison, who has been in the trade since 2018, and Sgt. Seidi Adamu of 3rd Division Ordnance Services, who has also been in the trade since 2022, had over N45 million and N34 million respectively in their accounts.
He added that the investigation also revealed that N135 million was discovered to have passed through the account of a policeman, Insp. Enoch Ngwa, who was arrested for arms racketeering.
“To this end, a more stringent punishment is necessary to act as a deterrent,” he added.
Speaking further, he said the Theatre also achieved significant progress in the fight against terrorists’ logistics suppliers and collaborators.
“From January 2025 to the date, over 186 terrorist logistics suppliers, spies and collaborators have been arrested across the theatre of operation,” he said.
Speaking further, the Command expressed concern over the proliferation of drugs and narcotics, which enhances terrorist operational capabilities.
He said to counter this threat, the Joint Intelligence Mission Centre, a military intelligence base, and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intensified efforts to disrupt these networks.
“However, a lack of tracking devices has continued to mitigate the arrest of logistic suppliers.
“Another point of concern is the observed increase in cases of collusion by some non-governmental organisations who convey additives and food items to terrorist locations under the guise of humanitarian assistance,” he said.
He lamented the activities of fifth columnists, which undermine the overall success of Operation Hadin Kai.
“Additionally, a few soldiers motivated by greed are involved in an ammunition racketeering, deliberately diverting arms from the military stockpiles and supply chains to terrorists. Such actions erode battlefield morale, reduce troops’ effectiveness, and strengthen enemy resistance.
“The most recent incident occurred on 24th February this year when a soldier of 144 Battalion was arrested with 30 rounds of 7.62mm specials at Tashin-Karo Kano by a military police K-19 on route search operations.
“Consequently, the theatre has continued to warn troops at all levels of the severe repercussions and sanctions of ammunition racketeering. Those found culpable have been dismissed and handed over to the police as a deterrent.”
Highlighting the Theatre’s achievements, he recalled that terrorists in May 2024 issued a vacation order, leading to a mass exodus of civilians in Kukawa town.
However, the operation Hadin Kai subsequently issued an operational order for stabilisation operation, mobilising seven excavators, construction of watch towers, surveillance masts and barricades.
“The operation successfully led to the return of over 10,000 locals to their ancestral homes,”.
694 Terrorists Killed in Borno
According to him, the troops of Operation Hadin Kai killed 694 terrorists, and recovered 603 assault weapons,56 RPG bombs,16 mortar bombs, 147,137 units of anti-aircraft weapons, 16 pickup vehicles, etc.
He said that the Joint Task Force has recorded over 12 drone incidents since 2004 to date.
He revealed that, in 2022, the Nigerian Army established the Unmanned Aerial Base Command as a countermeasure, which has continued to play a vital role in supporting ongoing operations across the theatre.
