Troops of Operation Hadin Kai foiled an attempted mass abduction by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province fighters along the Buratai-Kamuya road in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State, rescuing 31 civilians unharmed.

According to a statement from the operation’s spokesperson, Mohammed Goni, troops from the 135 Special Forces Battalion detected the terrorists and deployed a rapid response unit that engaged them, forcing the attackers to abandon their captives and four vehicles before fleeing into the bush. The rescued civilians and their recovered vehicles were escorted to safety in Buratai, with troops conducting follow up operations to prevent the insurgents from regrouping.

In a separate operation, troops arrested six suspected terrorist collaborators in Damasak on July 27, allegedly linked to raising funds for the terrorist groups through cattle trading, recovering a vehicle, mobile phones and more than 317 million naira in cash. Goni also disclosed that the wife and eleven-year-old son of a senior Islamic State West Africa Province finance operative surrendered to troops on July 29, days after the operative himself surrendered, with both now undergoing screening in line with established procedures. He reaffirmed the operation’s commitment to sustained intelligence driven operations against terrorist financial networks while encouraging more insurgents and their families to surrender.