No fewer than 11 family members of suspected Boko Haram fighters, comprising five women and six children, have surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Borno State.

The development was disclosed in a report by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency and security expert covering the Lake Chad region.

According to the report, the surrender took place at about 6:00pm. on June 24, 2026, at separate locations in Banki, Bama Local Government Area of the state.

Makama said four women and four children from Chongolo village voluntarily surrendered to troops of the 152 Task Force Battalion, while another woman and two children from Ladantar surrendered to troops of the 151 Task Force Battalion at Banki Junction.

The report stated that preliminary profiling conducted by the military indicated that the 11 individuals are family members of suspected Boko Haram fighters who reportedly fled insurgent enclaves in search of safety.

“Preliminary profiling revealed that all 11 individuals are family members of Boko Haram terrorists who fled insurgent enclaves in search of safety,” he said.

According to the report, after documentation and profiling by the troops, the surrendered individuals were handed over to the Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, camp in Bama for further processing and rehabilitation in line with established procedures.

Makama further disclosed that the surrender forms part of what military sources described as the continuing wave of defections from terrorist enclaves amid sustained military operations under Operation Hadin Kai.

The report added that troops remain on alert across the theatre of operations as counter-insurgency efforts continue in the North-East.

Two police officers have been killed during a security operation that led to the rescue of nine kidnapped victims in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Kaduna State Police Command said the victims were rescued after security operatives responded to intelligence reports that armed bandits had abducted several farmers in Unguwan Sa’idu village on June 24.

 According to the command’s spokesperson, DSP Mansir Hassan, police personnel, including operatives of the Police Mobile Force and the Kaduna Vigilance Service, were mobilised to the area, where they engaged the bandits in a gun battle. 

The superior firepower of the security team forced the bandits to flee into nearby bushes, abandoning their captives. 

The operatives subsequently rescued nine victims, who were found tied up and left behind by the attackers.

 However, tragedy struck as the security team returned from the operation.

 The officers were ambushed by suspected bandits who had laid in wait along the route,two policemen sustained fatal gunshot wounds and died in the line of duty. 

The Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State, CP Rabiu Muhammad, commiserated with the families and colleagues of the slain officers, describing them as heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of the nation. 

The police said investigation and tactical operations were ongoing to apprehend those responsible for the attack.

Troops of Operation HADIN KAI have arrested four suspected drug peddlers during a raid on a suspected drug distribution point in Magumeri town, Magumeri Local Government Area of Borno State.

This was made known in a post on X by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency and security expert in the Lake Chad region.

Zagazola noted that the operation was conducted at about 1:08 p.m. on June 24 by troops of the 109 Special Forces Battalion as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt criminal networks fueling insurgency and other violent crimes in the North-East.

According to him, the suspects were identified as Alhaji Bukar, 30; Rawagana Abubakar, 19; Abubakar Mallam, 34; and Abbani Aisami, 21.

He added that items recovered during the operation included 164 wraps of cannabis, 38 wraps of Erinmore, one card of Tramadol tablets, 101 white tablets identified as Hyxul and 38 bottles of Exiplon syrup.

Others include four containers of Diamond Rubber Solution, and two litres of methylene chloride, a dangerous inhalant commonly referred to as “Suck and Die.”

The security expert further said that troops also recovered two Android mobile phones, one Itel phone, one Tecno phone, a Bluetooth speaker, an earpiece and 129 gas lighters.

“The suspects are currently in the custody of the 109 Special Forces Battalion for further investigation and possible prosecution.

“The operation forms part of sustained efforts by Operation HADIN KAI to dismantle drug trafficking networks believed to facilitate terrorist activities by supplying illicit substances and logistics to criminal elements operating within the theatre,” he said.