The air component of the Northeast Joint Task Force under Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) has killed 50 Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in the border community of Ngoshe in Gwoza Local Council of Borno State.

This was even as President Bola Tinubu has condemned the recent terrorist attack on Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Council of Borno State, expressing deep sorrow over the loss of lives.

President Tinubu, in a statement issued on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, extended condolences to families of victims affected by the Boko Haram assault, which claimed the lives of civilians and military personnel.

He also acknowledged that some casualties occurred during a Nigerian Air Force aerial operation targeting fleeing terrorists, in what authorities described as friendly fire.

Describing the attack as a cruel and senseless assault on innocent citizens, Tinubu urged residents of Borno State and Nigerians generally not to succumb to fear in the face of terrorist threats.

He commended the Armed Forces and other security agencies for their swift response to the incident, noting that the military operation led to the killing of several terrorists and forced others to retreat.

The President further directed security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue those abducted during the attack and strengthen measures to safeguard communities, particularly in the North-East.

Tinubu also charged the armed forces to step up the protection of civilians across the country and prevent attacks on military formations in the region.

He prayed for the repose of the souls of those who lost their lives in the attack and the subsequent aerial operation.
Dozens of the fleeing terrorists were neutralised, following multiple precision air strikes on their withdrawal routes after a failed attack on the border community with Cameroon.

Credible security sources on Thursday in Maiduguri, Borno State, told the counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama that the insurgents on March 3, 2026, launched a deadly coordinated assault on the Nigerian Army artillery positions in Ngoshe at7:30p.m.

The border community located about 12 kilometres south of Pulka was severally attacked by insurgents between 2013 and 2024, forcing many people to take refuge in Cameroon for 11 years.

An officer, who pleaded for anonymity, said: “The terrorists attempted to overrun our artillery positions in a surprise evening attack. The insurgents tried to seize the artillery positions through a surprise assault.”

Makama, however, revealed that the ground troops swiftly responded effectively by carrying out what he described as, “a tactical withdrawal under intense fire to safeguard personnel and equipment,” while reinforcements were mobilised to protect Ngoshe and three other border communities in the local council.

Regarding the NAF airstrikes, the source stated: “Upon receiving real-time intelligence from ground forces, air assets were deployed to engage the terrorists along their escape routes. The fighters were observed moving in clusters at two separate locations.

“Precision strikes were carried out on confirmed target clusters and movement trails. Battle damage assessment indicates that more than 50 terrorists were killed in two separate strike runs.”

He added that the ground-air coordination under OPHK ensured that although the insurgents attempted to escape into forested enclaves, they were decisively engaged by the multiple airstrikes for about an hour.