Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation Hadin Kai, have arrested a 15-year-old boy, Tijjani, over his alleged involvement in a deadly attack that claimed the lives of a senior military officer and two soldiers in Borno State.
Gatekeepers News reports that the suspect was apprehended on Sunday in Ngamdu while reportedly on an errand to purchase food for members of his group. In a video confession, he admitted participating in coordinated attacks on Benisheikh and Ngamdu.
The assault led to the death of Oseni Braimah, Commander of the 29 Task Force Brigade under Operation Hadin Kai, alongside two soldiers, after suspected Boko Haram fighters stormed their base.
Speaking in Hausa, the teenager said the attackers operated from Jilli and returned there after the mission.
“Before the attack, we came from Jilli and returned there after the attack. I was sent from Jilli yesterday with N850,000 to collect some logistics from Ngamdu, but I was arrested by troops. On Saturday, I left other fighters, my colleagues, at Jilli. I don’t know what happened to them there,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the recent Nigerian Air Force airstrike on Jilli Market along the Borno–Yobe axis, which reportedly killed over 200 civilians, mostly traders, and left many others injured.
In a statement, the group described the incident as part of a troubling pattern of military air operations that have resulted in civilian casualties over the years.
HURIWA cited several past incidents, including the 2014 airstrike in Kayamla, the 2017 bombing of an IDP camp in Rann, and subsequent strikes in Adamawa, Zamfara, Niger, and Nasarawa states, which collectively claimed hundreds of civilian lives.
The group’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the frequency of such incidents raises serious concerns.
“When such deadly errors become frequent and predictable, they amount to institutional negligence and a grave violation of the right to life.
“The Jilli airstrike represents a catastrophic failure of state responsibility and a reminder that civilians remain vulnerable not only to insurgents but also to the forces mandated to protect them,” he said.
HURIWA called for an independent investigation into the Jilli incident and urged the Federal Government to establish a civilian-led panel, including the National Human Rights Commission and other civil society organisations, to probe the strike and publish its findings.
The group also demanded N200 billion in compensation for victims’ families, alongside medical care and rehabilitation for survivors.
It further urged the military to issue a formal apology and review its rules of engagement, particularly strengthening intelligence verification processes before conducting airstrikes in civilian-populated areas.
HURIWA warned that failure to address recurring incidents could erode public trust and expose civilians to greater risk.
“The value of Nigerian lives must never be reduced to statistics or collateral damage. This must be a turning point. Never again should such preventable tragedies occur,” the group said.
