Troops of the North East Joint Task Force under Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have neutralised 10 terrorists of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) during coordinated operations across the Gajiram–Gajigana–Mayanti–Dadinjel axis of Borno State and Yobe State.
The terrorists were eliminated while troops successfully foiled multiple ISWAP attacks carried out between February 28 and March 1, 2026, on Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) of the Nigerian Army located at Gajiram, Gajigana and Dadinjel.
Disclosing this on Monday in Maiduguri, OPHK Media Information Officer, Lt. Col. Sani Uba, said troops demonstrated resilience and battlefield dominance by decisively thwarting coordinated ISWAP assaults on the FOBs at Mayanti, Gajigana, Gajiram and Dadinjel.
According to him, the attacks were repelled as troops of Sector 2 intensified offensive operations across key terrorist enclaves within the Lake Chad region and the Sambisa Forest.
“The failed assaults, launched between the late hours of February 28 and the early hours of March 1, underscore the growing desperation of terrorist elements under sustained pressure on their hideouts, logistics corridors and leadership structures,” Uba stated.
He explained that while the attack on Gajigana was successfully repelled with troops maintaining full control of their defensive positions, fierce encounters at Mayanti and Gajiram resulted in heavy terrorist casualties and the recovery of substantial combat equipment.
On the significance of the FOBs, the spokesman noted that OPHK’s sustained offensive posture continues to deny terroristsfreedom of action, forcing them into disorderly retreats with significant loss.
Detailing one of the incidents, Uba said that on February 28, 2026, the FOB at Mayanti came under heavy attack by a large number of terrorists. Despite intense enemy fire, ground troops held their positions, while reinforcements fought through ambushes and improvised explosive device (IED) threats to rout the attackers.
“Exploitation confirmed the recovery of five terrorist corpses alongside three PKT automatic anti-aircraft guns, two RPG-7 launchers, four AK-47 rifles, two FN rifles, three RPG bombs and large quantities of 7.62mm ammunition. Blood trails indicated additional terrorist casualties,” he said.
Uba, however, disclosed that one officer paid the supreme price during the operations to foil the multiple attacks across the affected communities in Borno and Yobe states.
In a related development, he said that at about 1:15 a.m. on March 1, 2026, terrorists armed with PKT guns, RPGs and armed drones attacked the FOB in Gajiram. The attack was repelled by gallant troops with air support from the Nigerian Air Force, leading to the recovery of three terrorist bodies along their withdrawal route.
Other items recovered included four AK-47 rifles, five anti-tank bombs, three locally fabricated mortar bombs, an armed drone, six fully loaded 7.62mm NATO magazines, barbed-wire cutters, specialised ammunition, poisoned arrows and other items abandoned by the fleeing terrorists.
