Dare Babalola
Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI, have arrested a 15-year-old suspected terrorist and recovered weapons during a coordinated operation in Gubio town, Borno State.
The arrest was carried out by troops of Sector 3 in collaboration with operatives of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) as part of ongoing counter-terrorism operations under Operation DESERT SANITY and Operation VIGILANT SIEGE across the North-East theatre.
The military disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday by the Media Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba.
According to the statement, the suspect, identified as Umar Zacharria, was apprehended following intelligence-led operations targeting terrorist activities within Gubio and surrounding communities.
Preliminary investigations reportedly linked the teenager to recent attacks on motorists along the Kareto axis, where armed groups have been operating and disrupting movement along key routes in the region.
Military sources said the suspect is currently in custody and is undergoing interrogation to determine the extent of his involvement and possible links with other members of the terrorist network operating in the area.
In a related development during the same series of operations, troops conducting clearance and strangulation operations along the Ladari riverbanks uncovered an abandoned cache of arms and ammunition concealed in the area.
Recovered items included one Browning pistol, one locally fabricated pistol, 26 rounds of 9mm ammunition, and seven cartridges. The weapons are believed to have been hidden by fleeing insurgents to avoid detection during ongoing military pressure in the region.
The statement further revealed that troops also thwarted a potential terrorist attack after discovering an improvised explosive device (IED) planted along a route behind an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp near a military installation in Ladari.
The explosive device was suspected to have been positioned to target reinforcement troops and military vehicles responding to operational movements in the area.
Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) specialists were immediately deployed to the scene and successfully detonated the device in-situ without any casualties or collateral damage recorded.
The military described the coordinated discoveries, arrests, and recoveries as part of sustained operational pressure being mounted on terrorist elements across the North-East, aimed at denying them freedom of action and disrupting their logistics and movement.
Operation HADIN KAI reiterated its commitment to continuing offensive operations, intelligence-driven raids, and joint security collaborations to dismantle terrorist networks and restore lasting peace, security, and socio-economic stability across the region.
The statement added that the Military High Command commended the troops for their professionalism, resilience, and discipline, urging them to maintain the current operational momentum in the collective interest of national security.
