How Killed 1,200 Insurgents, Recovered ₦350m Terror Funds – Outgoing Theatre Commander
By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
The outgoing Theatre Commander of Joint Task Force North-East, Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Abubakar Abdulsalam, says troops under his command intercepted over ₦350 million linked to terrorist financiers, neutralised more than 1,200 Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters, and arrested 758 logistics collaborators during his tenure.
Abdulsalam disclosed this on Tuesday during a farewell briefing in Maiduguri, Borno State, where he highlighted key operational achievements since assuming command in April 2025, including the recovery of over 500 weapons, 25,000 rounds of ammunition and the destruction of more than 300 improvised explosive devices.
The briefing comes days after a major Nigerian Army reshuffle that saw Abdulsalam redeployed from the North-East theatre. He has been succeeded by Major General Ibrahim Ayodele Ajose, who was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai as part of the redeployment of senior officers approved by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, last week.
According to the outgoing commander, military operations also facilitated the return of over 7,000 displaced families to their communities, while more than 3,000 Nigerians were repatriated from Cameroon. He noted that schools, markets and major supply routes previously disrupted by insurgency have reopened across parts of the region.
Abdulsalam said troops eliminated more than 216 high-value terrorist commanders and recorded a significant increase in the surrender of insurgents, which he attributed to sustained military pressure and non-kinetic measures aimed at encouraging defections.
He thanked President Bola Tinubu, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, and the Borno State Government for their support, saying additional troops, equipment and combat enablers contributed significantly to the gains recorded in the theatre.
