No fewer than 11 family members of suspected Boko Haram fighters, comprising five women and six children, have surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Borno State.
The development was disclosed in a report by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency and security expert covering the Lake Chad region.
According to the report, the surrender took place at about 6:00pm. on June 24, 2026, at separate locations in Banki, Bama Local Government Area of the state.
Makama said four women and four children from Chongolo village voluntarily surrendered to troops of the 152 Task Force Battalion, while another woman and two children from Ladantar surrendered to troops of the 151 Task Force Battalion at Banki Junction.
The report stated that preliminary profiling conducted by the military indicated that the 11 individuals are family members of suspected Boko Haram fighters who reportedly fled insurgent enclaves in search of safety.
“Preliminary profiling revealed that all 11 individuals are family members of Boko Haram terrorists who fled insurgent enclaves in search of safety,” he said.
According to the report, after documentation and profiling by the troops, the surrendered individuals were handed over to the Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, camp in Bama for further processing and rehabilitation in line with established procedures.
Makama further disclosed that the surrender forms part of what military sources described as the continuing wave of defections from terrorist enclaves amid sustained military operations under Operation Hadin Kai.
The report added that troops remain on alert across the theatre of operations as counter-insurgency efforts continue in the North-East.
