The wife and 11-year-old son of a senior ISWAP finance operative have surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Borno State, days after the man himself gave up to the military.
Captain Muhammed Goni, Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations at Headquarters Theatre Command, Operation Hadin Kai, said in a statement on Saturday that the woman and her son surrendered on 29 July at Kusuma Village.
Their surrender followed that of her husband, who had turned himself in to troops of the 3 Battalion on 25 July along the Ladari-Jegarawa-Tunokalia axis of the Gamboru-Wulgo Main Supply Route. He had reportedly told his family to leave the enclave and surrender if his own escape as an ISWAP finance operative succeeded.
According to intelligence sources cited by security analyst Zagazola Makama, the woman has been identified as Aisha Musa, 27. She reportedly reached Kusuma Village with her son at about 3.42pm, following instructions her husband had given her before his own escape.
The husband served as chief finance operative for the ISWAP enclave at Jubillaram, according to preliminary military profiling. In that role, he oversaw funding and logistics for the group’s operations in the area.
Goni described his surrender as a major operational breakthrough, and said the ISWAP finance operative’s departure weakens the group’s command structure and financial network. He added that the development formed part of a broader pattern, with about 46 terrorists and their family members surrendering to troops in recent days.
Troops have also intensified operations elsewhere in Borno State beyond the case of the ISWAP finance operative and his family. Goni said soldiers of the 5 Brigade arrested six suspected ISWAP collaborators in Damasak on 27 July.
Preliminary investigations, according to the military, showed that the suspects generated funds for the group by buying and selling cattle at markets in Gubio, Damasak and Ajuwango.
Items recovered from the six included a Volkswagen Golf, four mobile phones and 317,950 naira in cash, Goni said. The suspects remain in military custody as investigations continue.
In a related operation, troops of the 145 Battalion carried out a clearance exercise at Turoh after receiving credible intelligence, according to the army statement.
The surrender of this ISWAP finance operative and his family adds to a growing list of defections from insurgent enclaves in the North East. Military authorities maintain that sustained air and land operations under Operation Hadin Kai continue to degrade Boko Haram and ISWAP strongholds across the region.
Officials say the general security situation in the theatre remains relatively calm, though unpredictable, as troops maintain offensive operations against remaining terrorist elements.
Operation Hadin Kai has repeatedly urged fighters still active in the enclaves to lay down their arms and take advantage of the Federal Government’s non-kinetic reintegration programmes. The command has also appealed to residents of Borno State to keep providing credible and timely information to support ongoing counter-terrorism operations.
The woman and her son are undergoing screening and profiling, a standard procedure applied to anyone leaving insurgent-held territory, according to military sources. Officials say the family’s exit, coming so soon after the ISWAP finance operative’s own surrender, suggests coordination rather than a chance defection.
Analysts tracking the North East insurgency say the willingness of senior operatives, including this ISWAP finance operative, to abandon their positions points to mounting internal pressure within the group, driven by sustained military strikes and dwindling logistics support.
