The Defence Headquarters has disclosed the names of key terrorist leaders who were eliminated during various operations in the northern region of Nigeria. These operations took place between January and March 2024. Among the identified terrorist kingpins are Abu Bilal Minuki, also known as Abubakar Mainok, who headed the Is-Al Furqan Province (ISGS and ISWAP), and Haruna Isiya Boderi, a notorious terrorist operating in the Birnin Gwari Forest of Kaduna State and along the Abuja-Kaduna highway. Boderi was reportedly killed by troops on February 24.
Other terrorist leaders neutralised during this period include Kachallah Damina, who was eliminated on March 24 along with over 50 combatants; Kachallah Alhaji Dayi, Kachallah Idi (Namaidaro), Kachallah Kabiru (Doka), Kachallah Azarailu (Farin-Ruwa), Kachallah Balejo, Ubangida, Alhaji Baldu, and several others. The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, disclosed these names during a press briefing in Abuja.
The success in eliminating these terrorist leaders was achieved through coordinated ground and air strikes on their hideouts. Fighter jets were deployed to conduct bombardment raids on significant terrorist enclaves immediately after identifying vital targets. This approach has significantly weakened the terrorist groups in the region.
During the operations, a total of 2,351 terrorists were killed, 2,308 were arrested, and 1,241 kidnap hostages were rescued. Additionally, troops recovered 2,847 weapons and 58,492 caches of ammunition. Furthermore, in the fight against crude oil theft, troops recovered stolen products worth over N20 billion, including millions of litres of stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products.
