Troops Kill Terrorists, Arrest Collaborators In Borno, Yobe

During the operation, four suspected cattle rustlers and collaborators were arrested while allegedly attempting to sell six cows on behalf of insurgents.

The military said sustained offensives and pressure on terrorist enclaves have continued to trigger fresh surrenders by fighters and their relatives.

It noted that on May 17, an adult male relative of a terrorist fled the Kwatara enclave in the Mandara Mountains and surrendered to troops along the Gwoza-Limankara road in Gwoza LGA, citing severe hardship and mounting military pressure.

Further surrenders were also recorded on May 19 in Dikwa LGA, where two adult women and seven minors reportedly turned themselves in to troops.

Another woman, identified as Alisha Sale, also reportedly surrendered separately in Dikwa town on the same day.

On May 20, troops conducting routine security checks in Lawanti town near Baga in Kukawa LGA arrested a female suspect accused of supplying ready-to-use supplementary food and hijabs to her son, Modu Mustapha, whom the military described as a notorious terrorist commander operating in Mobbar LGA.

The same day, a 20-year-old suspect identified as Babakaka Bukar surrendered to troops at the Forward Operating Base in Mairari, Nganzai LGA. He reportedly handed over an AK-47 rifle, ammunition and a mobile phone.

The military also disclosed that troops at Bama checkpoint on May 21 arrested another suspected logistics supplier allegedly transporting food items and other materials intended for insurgents.

In neighbouring Yobe State, troops recovered an AK-47 rifle and ammunition said to have been abandoned by fleeing terrorists, according to the report.