Nigerian troops operating under Operation HADIN KAI have discovered and neutralised an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and arrested two suspected terrorist logistics suppliers during separate operations in Borno State, the army said on Saturday.
The Joint Task Force (North East) said the operations were carried out under Operations Desert Sanity IV and V, aimed at disrupting Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) activities in the region.
In one incident, troops of the 25 Brigade discovered an IED while conducting a main supply route patrol along the Damboa–Komala axis on December 17.
The device was secured and subsequently detonated by military personnel, the army said, preventing potential harm to troops and civilians using the route.
In a separate operation on December 19, troops deployed at a checkpoint along the Maiduguri–Bama Road intercepted a Lagos-registered vehicle following what the military described as credible intelligence.
The vehicle was found to be conveying large quantities of food items and energy drinks suspected to be supplies intended for Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters operating around Kirawa Ward in Gwoza Local Government Area.
Two suspects were arrested in connection with the interception. Items recovered from the vehicle included assorted food supplies, energy drinks, three mobile phones, an identity card, a ring, and sums of cash in both Nigerian naira and CFA francs.
The army said the suspects, along with the vehicle and recovered items, had been handed over to the appropriate military intelligence unit for further investigation and necessary action.
Nigeria’s military high command commended the troops for the operations and urged them to sustain the current tempo, according to the statement.
The military said it remains committed to denying armed groups freedom of movement, disrupting their logistics networks and improving security for residents of Nigeria’s conflict-affected northeast, where insurgency-related violence has persisted for more than a decade.
