Details have emerged on how troops of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) in another display of gallantry and resilience, successfully repelled desperate attempts by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists to invade resettled communities in Banki and Bula Yobe of Borno State.
Top Military sources said the communities currently host over 10,000 households who have returned home after years of displacement by the insurgents.
Recall that terrorists on September 18, 2025, launched coordinated attacks on the communities, seeking to destabilise the hard-earned peace and once again subject innocent citizens to fear and displacement.
According to military sources, ground troops, supported by the Air Component of OPHK, crushed the attackers, thereby shielding over 10,000 households from attacks.
The terrorists who suffered heavy losses in both manpower and equipment were forced to flee in disarray.
“The troops located at Banki, reinforced by additional formations, stood firm to protect the surrounding towns, shielding women, children and elderly citizens who would have been the prime victims of the terrorists’ cruelty,” the source who preferred anonymity stated.
He noted that soldiers in Bula Yobe displayed remarkable tactical discipline and courage, foiling repeated enemy attempts to breach the security of the areas, including troops’ position.
He added that the troops’ resilience protected farmers who only recently returned to their farmlands to rebuild livelihoods.
“Their heroic actions ensured that not a single community was overrun and that families remained safe under the protection and cover of their military,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Acting General Officer Commanding (Ag GOC) 7 Division/Commander Sector 1 OPHK, Brigadier General Ugochukwu Unachukwu, during an operational visit to Banki on September 19, 2025, commended the troops for their extraordinary sacrifice and confirmed that the terrorists had been dealt a decisive blow in the joint air and ground counteroffensives.
He assured residents, humanitarian agencies and other stakeholders providing humanitarian services in the area that the Nigerian Army remained unwavering in its commitment to protect the people and their means of survival.
The Nigerian Army, however, expressed regret over the loss of one gallant soldier who paid the supreme price and those injured in defence of thousands of families.
“The sacrifice of the troops and that of many others before them stands as a testament to the Army’s resolve to guarantee peace, dignity and safety for every Nigerian returning home after years of displacement,” he stated.
The GOC assured that the Nigerian Army remained resilient and more determined than ever to sustain ongoing operations.
He said the Nigerian Army under the leadership of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, remained resolute to safeguarding lives and property while discharging it’s constitutional mandate within a joint and multi-agency operational framework.
“Nigerians owe the injured gallant troops and fallen heroes a debt of gratitude for keeping hope alive in communities rising from the ashes of war,” he added.
