Senior ISWAP finance chief surrenders with two sons, AK-47 as 46 terrorists and families lay down arms

• A senior ISWAP finance operative surrendered to Operation HADIN KAI troops in Borno.

• The Army said he surrendered with two sons and an AK-47 rifle.

• Military authorities said 46 terrorists and their families have also surrendered recently.

The Army attributed the development to sustained counter-terrorism operations.

The Nigerian Army has announced the surrender of a senior finance operative of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) alongside his two sons, weapons and ammunition in Borno State.

According to the Army, the ISWAP operative surrendered to troops of Operation HADIN KAI on Saturday, July 25, 2026, along the Ladari–Jegarawa–Tunokalia axis of the Gamboru–Wulgo Main Supply Route in Borno State.

The Army said the surrender was recorded by troops of the 3 Battalion under the 24 Task Force Brigade at about 6:45 a.m., following sustained military operations targeting terrorist hideouts and enclaves in the North-East. 

Preliminary profiling by the military identified the surrendered fighter as the Chief Finance Operative of the ISWAP enclave in Jubillaram, where he was allegedly responsible for managing the group’s financial activities and logistics. 

The Army said he surrendered alongside his two male children and voluntarily handed over an AK-47 rifle, four magazines, 101 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, a motorcycle and ₦40,000 cash.

In a statement by the Acting Military Information Officer of the Joint Task Force North East, Operation HADIN KAI, Captain Mohammed Goni, the military described the development as a major operational breakthrough in its ongoing counter-insurgency campaign. 

The Army also disclosed that about 46 terrorists and their family members had surrendered to troops in recent days amid intensified military operations across the North-East. 

According to the military, the recent surrenders followed coordinated land and air offensives aimed at disrupting terrorist command structures, supply routes and financial networks that support insurgent activities. 

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The development comes as Nigerian security forces continue operations against ISWAP and Boko Haram factions that have carried out attacks in parts of Borno and other North-Eastern states for more than a decade.

ISWAP, a faction that broke away from Boko Haram and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, has remained one of the major armed groups responsible for insecurity in the Lake Chad region.

The Nigerian Army has repeatedly urged members of terrorist groups to surrender and take advantage of government-led rehabilitation and reintegration programmes, while continuing military offensives against those who refuse to lay down their arms.