Nigerian Troops Thwart Terror Attack, Killed Boko Haram Commander and Cameraman
In the quiet darkness just before dawn, a deadly threat crept toward the people of Monguno and Bitta, but the Nigerian soldiers stood ready, killing Boko Haram commander in Nigeria
At around 2:30 a.m., terrorists from Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched a coordinated assault on Monguno town and the nearby Bitta community in the volatile Lake Chad region. Their mission is to strike fear, destroy peace, and reclaim territory. But they met something stronger, the resolve of Nigerian troops.
A fierce firefight erupted in Bitta, illuminating the night with gunfire and bravery. Amid the chaos, two key figures in the terrorist network fell not just fighters, but symbols of the group’s brutality and propaganda machine.
One was Ibn Khalid, a senior commander known as a Quiad leader, a feared strategist within the insurgency. The other? A cameraman, tasked with filming executions and terror content to spread fear across the globe. His lens was silenced forever.
These deaths dealt a significant blow to the group’s operational and psychological warfare capabilities.
“We Fought to Protect Lives,” Say Soldiers
The operation, part of the ongoing Operation Hadin Kai, was confirmed by Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, Theater Commander of the Northeast Joint Task Force. He revealed that at least 17 insurgents were killed in separate clashes across the Sambisa Forest, stretching into Adamawa and Borno States.
“We followed the trails of blood,” he said. “Many fled with serious injuries. Some may not have survived.”
Troops recovered two AK-47 magazines, 7.62mm special ammunition, A PKT machine gun belt, A live Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) bomb, and a camcorder, the very tool used to produce the group’s gruesome videos from the battlefield.
That small device, once a weapon of fear, is now evidence of a failed mission.
Monguno, the administrative heart of northern Borno, has slowly come back to life. Once abandoned, it now hosts Sector 3 of Operation Hadin Kai and is a base for the Multinational Joint Task Force. Civil servants have returned. Children go to school. Markets buzz again.
This latest victory isn’t just about bodies on the ground. It’s about hope. It’s about a message sent loud and clear:
You will not take our land. You will not terrorize our people. We are watching. We are ready.
As the sun rose over Lake Chad, the soldiers stood guard once more — tired, but unbroken. For the people of Monguno and Bitta, another day of peace was earned and not given and fought for.