By Nkechi Eze
The Air Component of the Joint Task Force (North East) under Operation HADIN KAI has destroyed a major terrorist logistics hub and enclave near the abandoned village of Jilli in Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State, neutralising scores of insurgents and disrupting planned attacks against troops in the area.
The precision air strike, conducted on 11 April 2026, followed sustained Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions over the Bindul–Jilli axis, a corridor long identified by the military as a key movement route and convergence point for terrorists belonging to the Islamic State West Africa Province and their collaborators.
In an official signed statement, the Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba disclosed that the carefully coordinated operation was launched after intelligence indicated heightened insurgent activities and logistics movements along the Gubio–Damasak axis.
The statement noted that the development was particularly significant given the history of deadly attacks along the axis. In January 2026, troops moving from Gubio toward Damasak were hit by a devastating improvised explosive device planted along the road at Bindul, an attack that led to the tragic loss of eight soldiers while several others sustained injuries.
More recently, coordinated terrorist assaults were recorded on 9 April in Ngamdu and Benisheik, incidents believed to have been supported by the same logistics network operating around the Jilli axis. In response to these developments, the theatre command intensified aerial surveillance and intelligence gathering across the area to monitor suspicious movements and identify possible staging locations used by insurgents.
According to the statement, multiple intelligence reports received on 11 April indicated that ISWAP fighters were moving along the axis using gun trucks and motorcycles. ISR coverage over the area was immediately intensified to track their movement.
During the surveillance mission, a contingent of motorcycles was observed moving toward Jilli, followed shortly by the arrival of several additional vehicles converging at the same location. The suspicious movement was subsequently corroborated by credible human intelligence sources, confirming that the gathering involved terrorists, logistics handlers, and their collaborators.
Following confirmation of the target, a rigorous targeting process was undertaken in line with established operational procedures. Target fidelity was verified through multiple credible human intelligence sources and supported by persistent aerial surveillance.
Upon final validation of the objective, the Air Component executed a series of precision air strikes on the identified terrorist enclave while surveillance platforms maintained continuous overwatch to conduct real-time battle damage assessment.
Post-strike assessments indicated that the target area was hit with high accuracy, resulting in the destruction of the terrorist logistics enclave. Scores of insurgents were neutralised during the operation, while several vehicles and technical gun trucks used by the terrorists were destroyed.
Surviving fighters were seen fleeing the location in different directions as the strikes dismantled their gathering point.
Intelligence gathered after the operation revealed that the terrorists were in the final stages of receiving logistics supplies from couriers intended to support coordinated attacks on troop locations within the Gubio axis.
Military authorities said the successful strike significantly disrupted imminent terrorist plans and degraded the operational capability of insurgents operating within the theatre.
In a related development on 12 April 2026, troops arrested a suspected terrorist logistics courier identified as “Turja Bulu” in Ngamdu town. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect participated in the attack on the 29 Brigade location in Benisheik on 9 April.
According to the statement, the suspect also confessed that he had been dispatched by ISWAP operatives from Jilli, where several terrorists had been hiding to deliver food items to another group of insurgents currently hibernating within the Magumeri–Gubio general area.
The military said the arrest further confirmed that the destroyed enclave served as a major logistics coordination point for insurgent operations across northern Borno.
The latest strike, the statement added, underscores the determination of Operation HADIN KAI to sustain relentless pressure on terrorist elements, dismantle their logistics networks, and deny them freedom of movement across the North East.
The theatre command also reiterated that the use of motorcycles remains strictly prohibited across the operational theatre, particularly in Borno State and Yobe State, because insurgents frequently rely on them for movement, logistics supply, and attack operations.
Authorities warned that any motorcycle movement within restricted areas will be treated with utmost seriousness in line with existing operational directives.
The Joint Task Force assured residents of the North East and Nigerians at large that military operations will continue with renewed intensity until all terrorist enclaves are dismantled and lasting peace is restored to the region.
