The Theatre Command of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) has identified some of the most senior commanders of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) operating around the Lake Chad Basin.
The military command also announced a substantial reward for information leading to the arrest of the group’s most wanted leader.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Media Information Officer of OPHK, Capt. Mohammed Goni, the military command said the breakthrough followed the exploitation of intelligence materials recovered during recent offensive operations by troops in northern Borno State.
It said that troops recovered technical devices, including a camcorder allegedly used by ISWAP fighters to record propaganda videos and document their activities.
The statement stated that forensic analysis of the recovered devices produced actionable intelligence, exposing terrorist hideouts and revealing the identities of key ISWAP leaders operating within the Mangari-Metele-Dogon Chukun axis along the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin in Abadam and Kukawa Local Government Areas of Borno State.
Those identified, according to the statement, include Abu Musa Al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa, described as the Wali (Governor) of ISWAP and the group’s most wanted leader currently operating in the Lake Chad Basin.
Others are his deputy and Amirul Jaish, Muhammad Jidda, popularly known as ‘The One-Handed Man’; Hamad Abu Hanifa, the Amirul-Fiya of ISWAP; and several other senior terrorist operatives.
The statement said the intelligence breakthrough resulted from sustained offensive operations against ISWAP/ISIS enclaves in the Lake Chad region, adding that the information would significantly enhance ongoing efforts to dismantle the terrorist network.
It announced that the military would offer a substantial financial reward to anyone who provides credible and actionable information leading to the arrest of Abu Musa Al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa.
‘The military will offer a substantial financial reward to any individual whose credible and actionable information directly leads to his arrest.
‘All information received will be treated with the utmost confidentiality, and the identity of informants will be fully protected in accordance with established security procedures.’
The command appealed to members of the public to support ongoing counter-terrorism operations by providing credible intelligence that could assist security agencies in locating and apprehending the wanted terrorist leaders.
It, however, cautioned members of the public against attempting to confront or arrest the suspects, urging them instead to relay any useful information through established security channels or the dedicated hotline, 0708 498 8859.