Troops of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) have apprehended a suspected foreign terrorist fighter and an alleged illegal immigrant during a security operation in Borno State, the Nigerian Army said Sunday.
According to a statement by Captain Mohammed Goni, Acting Military Information Officer of the Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East), troops of the 115 Task Force Battalion, under Sector 4 of OPHK, carried out the operation at about 11:48 a.m. on July 19 in the Lassa, Dille General Area of Askira/Uba Local Government Area.
The army said the arrests were part of ongoing intelligence-driven operations across the North East Theatre.
Among those apprehended was Musa Fashir, a 32-year-old Sudanese national suspected of being a foreign terrorist fighter and collaborator. The army said preliminary intelligence indicates the suspect has established links with terrorist elements in the region, describing it as evidence of attempts by foreign actors to support insurgent activities in the North East.
Troops also arrested a woman identified as Mary Florence, 36, who claimed to be an illegal immigrant from Ghana. The army said the circumstances of her presence in the area, along with the authenticity of her claims, are still under investigation.
Both suspects are currently in military custody undergoing preliminary profiling and interrogation to establish their identities, determine the extent of their activities, and ascertain any links to terrorist or transnational criminal networks, the statement said.
The army described the arrests as a demonstration of the effectiveness of OPHK’s intelligence-driven operations and troops’ vigilance in denying terrorists and their collaborators freedom of movement. It added that the operation reflects the Theatre’s continued commitment to disrupting terrorist support networks, preventing the infiltration of foreign fighters, and protecting communities in the North East.
Operation HADIN KAI reiterated its mandate to neutralize terrorists and dismantle their logistics, financing, and support networks, and called on members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies, describing collective vigilance as critical to restoring lasting peace and stability in the region.
