Troops of Sector 2 of the North-East Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), have foiled a Boko Haram extortion mission and neutralised a suspected terrorist driver during an operation along the Paya-Kafiya axis of Yobe State.
Gatekeepers News reports that the military said the operation, conducted on July 19, also led to the recovery of ammunition, an AK-47 magazine and other items believed to have been used in terrorist activities.
The Acting Media Information Officer of Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, disclosed the development in a statement issued on Tuesday.
According to Goni, the operation disrupted a plot by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP members to extort residents and further weakened the insurgents’ financial network by denying them access to illicit revenue.
He said troops acted on credible intelligence indicating that two Volkswagen Golf vehicles and several motorcycles were transporting suspected terrorists to Bukarti village to collect illegal levies from local communities.
“Troops of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bukarti, in conjunction with the 27 Task Force Brigade, swiftly deployed an aggressive fighting patrol to the Paya-Kafiya axis on July 19, 2026,” Goni said.
The troops subsequently engaged the suspects in a firefight, during which one of the Volkswagen Golf vehicles was immobilised and its driver was killed.
The remaining terrorists reportedly fled into nearby bushes with gunshot wounds after abandoning the second vehicle in the face of what the military described as superior firepower.
Goni said follow-up exploitation operations conducted on July 20 along the Paya-Kafiya–Garin Gada axis resulted in the recovery of the abandoned Volkswagen Golf vehicle, 25 rounds of belted PKT ammunition, one loaded AK-47 magazine, 15 empty PKT ammunition cases, assorted drugs—including paracetamol and nicotine products—and mechanical tools believed to support terrorist logistics and sustainment activities.
He said the operation highlights the effectiveness of intelligence-driven military operations and Operation Hadin Kai’s sustained offensive against insurgents in the North-East.
According to the military, continued pressure on terrorist logistics and illicit revenue networks remains crucial to restricting the operational capabilities and freedom of movement of Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters across the region.
