Troops Foil Boko Haram Infiltration, Kill Top Commander in Lake Chad Region

In a midnight assault that lasted into the early hours, Nigerian troops repelled coordinated attempts by Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters to infiltrate Monguno town and the Bitta community near the Lake Chad region.

One of the insurgents neutralized in the intense gun battle was identified as a senior commander, Ibn Khalid. He was killed alongside the group’s cameraman during a firefight in Bitta at about 2:30 a.m., as soldiers from the Nigerian Army fiercely resisted the terrorist advance.

Speaking on the success of the operation, Theater Commander of the Northeast Joint Taskforce, Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, confirmed that seventeen other terrorists were eliminated in separate locations within Sambisa Forest, including parts of Madagali Local Government Area in Adamawa State and Kaga in Borno State.

“An unspecified number of the terrorists escaped with varying degrees of injuries,” Maj. Gen. Abdulsalam said. He noted that soldiers pursuing the fleeing insurgents discovered blood trails along their withdrawal routes.

Recovered from the battle scene were two AK-47 magazines, 7.26mm special ammunition, a PKT machine gun belt, a rocket-propelled grenade, and a camcorder believed to have been used by the group for propaganda footage.

Monguno, located at the fringes of Lake Chad, is not only the administrative headquarters of Northern Borno but also home to Sector 3 Operations of Hadin Kai and the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).

While civilian life has gradually returned to Monguno with local authorities back in place, several nearby Lake Chad communities remain empty and desolate, still awaiting reconstruction and resettlement.