Two high-ranking commanders of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have surrendered to Nigerian troops, the military announced Wednesday, in what officials are calling a major blow to the terrorist organisation’s operations in the Lake Chad region.
The commanders, identified as Ismail Mohammed and Abu Umar, turned themselves in on June 8 to troops of Operation HADIN KAI, the Nigerian military’s ongoing counter-terrorism campaign in the North East. Both men are currently in military custody, undergoing profiling and debriefing.
According to the Nigerian Army, Ismail Mohammed was a close associate of senior ISWAP leader Baa Shuwa and held extensive knowledge of the group’s command structure. Abu Umar was described as a skilled explosives specialist responsible for fabricating and maintaining vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices and other combat equipment used by the terror group.
Both men operated within the Mangari axis of the Lake Chad region and held what the military described as strategic positions within the terrorist hierarchy.
The army also disclosed that a third senior figure, Mohammed Khalifa, a member of the ISWAP Shura Council, was killed during joint operations conducted under the same campaign.
Military officials said the surrenders reflect mounting pressure on the insurgent network from sustained offensive operations and precision engagements carried out with support from allied partners.
“Their decision to flee and surrender further underscores the effectiveness of sustained offensive operations,” the army said in a statement, adding that combined military pressure has continued to “degrade terrorist capabilities” and “weaken their operational networks.”
Operation HADIN KAI, which translates roughly to “Collective Responsibility” in Hausa, has been the primary military framework for counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria’s North East since 2021, targeting both ISWAP and Boko Haram remnants across the Lake Chad Basin.
The Nigerian Army said it remains committed to “maintaining relentless pressure on all terrorist elements” and restoring stability to communities affected by years of insurgency.
