ISWAP suffers major blow as senior finance chief surrenders, 46 terrorists lay down arms

A senior finance operative of the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, has surrendered to troops of Operation HADIN KAI, alongside two children as military authorities recorded a fresh wave of terrorist defections across the North-East.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the Headquarters Joint Task Force, North East, Operation HADIN KAI, and signed by the Acting Military Information Officer, Captain Mohammed Goni.

According to the statement, the suspected terrorist surrendered to troops of the 3 Battalion under the 24 Task Force Brigade at about 6:45am. on July 25 along the Ladari–Jegarawa–Tunokalia axis on the Gamboru–Wulgo Main Supply Route.

The military said the surrender followed a series of coordinated land and air offensives carried out against terrorist enclaves across the North-East, which have continued to pile pressure on insurgent groups.

Preliminary profiling, according to the statement, identified the suspect as the chief finance operative of the ISWAP enclave at Jubillaram, where he allegedly managed the group’s finances and logistics.

The military also disclosed that about 46 terrorists and their family members had surrendered to troops in recent days, describing the development as further evidence of growing pressure on terrorist camps.

Items recovered from the surrendered suspect included one AK-47 rifle, four magazines, 101 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, one motorcycle and N40,000 in cash.

“The individual is currently undergoing detailed profiling and interrogation to exploit actionable intelligence that will support ongoing operations and facilitate the targeting of remaining terrorist elements across the Theatre,” the statement said.

The military described the surrender of the senior finance operative as a major setback for ISWAP, noting that it reflected what it called the gradual weakening of the group’s command structure, logistics network and operational capability.

According to the statement, the increasing number of recent surrenders also points to growing disillusionment within the ranks of the insurgents and an accelerating wave of defections from terrorist camps.

The military urged remaining insurgents to embrace the Federal Government’s non-kinetic initiatives by surrendering, while also calling on members of the public to continue providing credible information to support ongoing counter-terrorism operations across the region.