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Seventeen family members of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihadi (JAS), a faction of the Boko Haram insurgent group, have voluntarily surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Borno State.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Acting Military Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, Captain Mohammed Goni, said the latest surrenders followed sustained offensive operations targeting terrorist enclaves across the North East.
Goni said the first group surrendered at about 9:15 a.m. on August 4, 2026, while troops of the 222 Battalion were conducting a domination patrol along the Gezuwa axis in Konduga Local Government Area.
The group comprised “10 women and six children,” bringing the total to 16 individuals.
During preliminary debriefing, the military said the group attributed its decision to surrender to the sustained pressure mounted on terrorist hideouts.
“The surrendered individuals disclosed that the sustained military pressure mounted by troops on terrorist enclaves significantly influenced their decision to surrender,” Goni said.
Troops also recovered ₦92,000 from the group during the surrender process.
In a separate incident later the same day, an 11-year-old JAS family member surrendered to troops of the 202 Battalion under Sector 1 in Bama Local Government Area.
According to the military, “the minor also attributed his decision to surrender to the sustained operational pressure being maintained by troops against terrorist elements within the theatre.”
The surrendered individuals are currently undergoing profiling and debriefing in military custody.
“They will subsequently be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further profiling, detailed debriefing, rehabilitation processes where applicable, and other necessary administrative procedures in accordance with extant guidelines,” the statement added.
Operation HADIN KAI said the latest development reflects the impact of ongoing military operations aimed at dismantling terrorist camps and disrupting their logistics networks.
It added that troops would “continue to dominate identified operational areas, maintain pressure on terrorist enclaves, and deny criminal elements the freedom to operate, while facilitating the safe and voluntary surrender of those willing to lay down their arms in line with established procedures.”
Operation HADIN KAI is the Nigerian military’s counter-insurgency campaign in the North East, where troops have been battling Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
In recent years, sustained military operations have led to the surrender of thousands of insurgents and their family members, many of whom have entered government-run deradicalisation and rehabilitation programmes.
SUSTAINED MILITARY PRESSURE COMPELS MORE JAS FAMILY MEMBERS TO SURRENDER TO TROOPS
Sustained offensive operations by troops of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) have continued to exert significant pressure on terrorist elements operating across the North East theatre, resulting in the… pic.twitter.com/0EZDbohM7Q
— Nigerian Army (@HQNigerianArmy) August 5, 2026
