Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have arrested a 15-year-old suspected logistics courier for the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Ngamdu, Borno State, in a development that has provided fresh insight into the group’s operational network and recent attacks in the North-East.
Security sources disclosed that the teenager, identified as Tijjani, was apprehended on Sunday while allegedly attempting to procure supplies for insurgents operating along the Ngamdu–Benisheik corridor.
During preliminary interrogation, the suspect reportedly confessed to participating in last week’s coordinated attacks on Benisheik and Ngamdu. He said he mobilised with other fighters from Jilli, a known insurgent enclave in Gubio Local Government Area, and returned there after the operation.
The teenager further revealed that he had been redeployed from the enclave a day before his arrest with the sum of ₦850,000 to source logistics for the group. He added that several members of the cell remained in Jilli, although he could not confirm their status following recent military airstrikes in the area.
Military sources said the arrest has offered critical intelligence on ISWAP’s supply chain, highlighting the strategic importance of Jilli as a staging ground and logistics base for attacks across parts of Borno State.
The development comes on the heels of a recent precision airstrike by the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai targeting the Jilli axis. The operation, supported by sustained Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance missions, reportedly destroyed motorcycles and a vehicle linked to the insurgents, while several fighters were neutralised.
Field reports indicated that some militants fled upon detecting approaching aircraft but later regrouped under the cover of darkness to evacuate casualties.
Security officials have long described Jilli as a “no man’s land” largely controlled by insurgents, where periodic markets are allegedly used as coordination centres and supply points for terrorist activities.
Analysts say the arrest underscores a growing pattern in which insurgent groups deploy minors as couriers to move funds and materials, making the disruption of such logistics networks a critical component of ongoing counterterrorism efforts.
The military has reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying both air and ground operations aimed at dismantling insurgent infrastructure and preventing further attacks on communities and security formations. Investigations into the suspect’s network and possible accomplices are ongoing.
