Over the past few days, a total of 78 individuals affiliated with Boko Haram insurgents, including their family members, have surrendered to the forces of Sector 3 Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) as part of Operation Hadin Kai in the Monguno local government area of Borno State.
Reports indicate that the surrender of the terrorists is attributed to the unrelenting assault on their hideouts by the troops, as well as internal conflicts with rival ISWAP terrorists. This internal strife has resulted in the deaths of more than 100 terrorists from both groups within the past week.
Both factions have capitalized on their strengths and vulnerabilities to engage in mutual attacks. These assaults often involve the indiscriminate targeting of anyone present, including women and children, when their primary targets are absent.
Intelligence sourced from Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region, has been shared. This information reveals that the Boko Haram Buduma faction recently gained the upper hand against ISWAP.
This shift in power allowed them to seize control of numerous ISWAP enclaves, compelling the latter to retreat to fortified hideouts in the areas of Kukawa, Madayi, and Kwatan Mota.
This success against ISWAP was partly due to disenchanted ISWAP fighters defecting to align with the Boko Haram Buduma faction.
On August 13, 2023, the Boko Haram faction managed to intercept around 60 ISWAP terrorists, including three prominent Commanders named Abubakar Saddiq, Abou Maimuna, and Malam Idris, who were en route to Damasak.
These high-profile detainees were transported to an underground detention facility near Dogon Chuku in Kwatan Mota, where they were held as prisoners of war.
