Troops neutralize five terrorists, rescue 3 abducted children in Borno

Troops neutralize five terrorists, rescue 3 abducted children in Borno

By Tada Jutha, Maiduguri

Troops of the Northeast Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have neutralised five Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists at the Sabsawa village of Borno state.

The Sector 1 troops during their offensive and aggressive operations on 20th and 21st February, 2026 also rescued three abducted children on the outskirts of the Subsawa terrorists’ hideouts.

OPHK Media Information Officer Lt Col Sani Uba on Saturday in Maiduguri via a statement disclosed, “Our ground troops successfully foiled a terrorists’ attack, killing five of them, before rescuing kidnapped civilians in a separate operation conducted over the weekend.

Besides the rescue of the abducted children, Uba added: “In a major encounter, troops of Sector 1, while on a fighting patrol, made contact with suspected terrorists around Sabsawa village by responded with an overwhelming superior firepower, forcing the terrorists to flee in disarray.”

The lieutenant colonel revealed also that during troops’ exploitation of the area, five terrorists were neutralised.

In a related development across the theatre, Uba stated that the troops under Sector 1, deployed at Ngurosoye in the Bama Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, rescued three abducted children.

He said the rescued teenagers included Abba Abba, 12; Fatima Abba, 8; and Aisha Abba, 6, of the same family in the Subsawa village.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the victims were abducted about two months ago along the Gubio axis by suspected terrorists before being moved to Bula-Daloye,” said Uba.

According to him, the rescued teenagers have been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for necessary further action.

Meanwhile, troops also recorded the surrender of an 18-year-old terrorist suspect, Abubakar Abubakar, at Geidam in Yobe State, where he is currently in the custody of Army for profiling.

The military high command commended the troops for their sustained morale and fighting efficiency, assuring that pressure on terrorist elements will be maintained until lasting peace and economic stability are achieved in the Northeast.