Troops of the North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), have rescued 86 kidnapped victims and arrested 29 Boko Haram logistics suppliers in Borno and Yobe states.

The arrests were made on November 9, 2025, by troops of the 135 Special Forces Battalion, Sector 2, at the Dutse Kura hideout in Sambisa Forest. OPHK’s Media Information Officer, Lt-Col. Uba Sani, revealed yesterday in Maiduguri, that the terrorists had been abducting dozens of commuters and seizing their vehicles along the Buratai–Kamuya road.

He said that after foiling the abduction of 86 commuters and drivers, the troops pursued the fleeing terrorists towards a hideout near Mangari village.

Sani added that the pursuit led to the discovery of 11 makeshift structures where the rescued victims, mostly women and children, had been held captive by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters.

“Most of the rescued victims are women and children kidnapped along the Damaturu–Biu and Maiduguri–Biu roads in Borno and Yobe states,” he said.

Besides rescuing the victims, Sani stated that the Special Forces recovered an AK-47 rifle, five magazines with ammunition, and PKT ammunition belts.

Other items recovered during the operation included five civilian vehicles, five motorcycles, two tricycles used for logistics, and eight bicycles. He added that after recovering the arms and vehicles, the troops destroyed the terrorists’ makeshift camp.

The Media Information Officer noted that the operation would restrict the terrorists’ freedom of movement along major routes and within Sambisa Forest.

According to him, the rescue operation was conducted successfully without any casualties among the Special Forces. The military high command commended the troops and urged them to sustain efforts to deny terrorists freedom of action in the Lake Chad region and Sambisa Forest.