Troops Kill 18 Terrorist Leaders, 42 Fighters In Sambisa

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Friday said airstrikes conducted by the air components of Operation Hadin Kai eliminated 18 terrorist leaders and 42 fighters.

The director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja who confirmed this in an update on military operations from February 28 to March 6, 2026 said the airstrikes were conducted on March 2 in the Sambisa general area.

According to him, the battle damage assessment confirmed the killing of top terrorist ring leaders Saddam, Saleh Garin Kago and Ba Alayi Benbem (all senior figures), along with fighter Hussaini Ubaida.

He said efforts were still on to verify additional casualties.

“Corroborating reports from Human Sources indicate that the precision strike on 2 March 2026 neutralised over 18 terrorist ring leaders and 42 fighters, underscoring the effectiveness of joint air-ground integration in targeting high-value leadership,” he said.

He said troops within the week arrested 62 suspected terrorists and other criminals and rescued 33 Kidnap hostages while 11 insurgents and families surrendered.

He stated that in a significant development during the week, troops also arrested 12 suspected terrorists at Atachi in Lokoja LGA of Kogi State.

He explained that upon interrogation, the suspects claimed affiliation with Miyetti Allah but failed to produce any verifiable means of identification.

He said further exploitation of their mobile phones revealed contact details saved in formats consistent with known terrorist communication patterns, including several numbers stored under coded and suspicious aliases, strongly suggesting links to criminal elements.

Items recovered from the suspects include one AK-47 rifle, AK-47 magazine, substantial rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, mobile phones and ₦645,000.

He said all suspects and exhibits were in custody for further investigation.