Iliyasu Abdullahi Bah
The quiet dawn in Borno State was shattered not by gunfire, but by the news of yet another decisive blow against insurgents. In a string of daring operations, troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) struck deep into terrorist hideouts and supply routes, unearthing a massive arsenal of weapons, explosives, and drugs that fuel the fighters of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
It began near Banki, where the 152 Task Force Battalion stood its ground. Supported by Hybrid Forces and the ever-resilient Civilian Joint Task Force, the soldiers repelled a determined assault on vulnerable communities. When the dust settled, the insurgents fled in disarray, leaving behind a trove of war materials—boxes of 12.7×108mm heavy machine-gun rounds, NATO-grade ammunition, camouflage uniforms, and even a battered bicycle once used to ferry supplies through bush paths.
But the operations did not stop there. Along the treacherous Damboa–Gumsuri axis, troops of the 19 Battalion and 25 Brigade lay in wait. Acting on precise intelligence, they ambushed a terrorist convoy laden with supplies. In moments, what was meant to resupply insurgent cells turned into a death trap for the fighters. Among the seized items were rocket bombs and materials for crafting Improvised Explosive Devices—tools often used to launch devastating attacks on both soldiers and civilians.
Equally revealing was the discovery of large consignments of narcotics. For years, whispers had trailed the insurgency’s reliance on drugs to embolden fighters for long campaigns. The latest find confirms what many suspected—that the so-called “religious war” is, at its core, sustained by chemical courage.
Military analysts say these successive victories are no fluke. They reflect sharper intelligence gathering, closer collaboration with local security outfits, and a newfound momentum in the Army’s drive to dismantle insurgent networks. By choking off supply lines, Operation Hadin Kai is not just seizing weapons; it is dismantling the very spine of the insurgency.
For communities across Borno, each intercepted convoy and every recovered cache brings renewed hope. Hope that after more than a decade of violence, the tide may finally be turning in favour of peace.