Maiduguri, Aug. 5 – Troops of Operation HADIN KAI have identified several senior leaders of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) following intelligence gathered from recent military operations in the Lake Chad region of northern Borno State.
The Joint Task Force disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Acting Military Information Officer, Capt. Mohammed Goni, in Maiduguri.
According to the statement, the breakthrough followed successful offensive operations during which troops recovered technical devices and other high-value intelligence materials abandoned by fleeing terrorists.
Among the recovered items was a camcorder allegedly used by ISWAP members to produce propaganda videos and document operational activities.
The military said forensic analysis of the devices yielded actionable intelligence, leading to the identification of terrorist locations and several senior ISWAP commanders 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 include Abu Musa Al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa, described as the Wali (Governor) of ISIS West Africa Province; his deputy and Amirul Jaish, Muhammad Jidda, also known as “The One-Handed Man”; and Hamad Abu Hanifa, identified as the Amirul-Fiya of ISWAP.
Operation HADIN KAI said Abu Musa Al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa remains the most wanted ISWAP leader operating within the Lake Chad Basin and announced that a substantial financial reward would be offered to anyone whose credible and actionable information leads directly to his arrest.
The military assured members of the public that all information received would be treated with strict confidentiality and that the identities of informants would be fully protected in line with established security procedures.
It appealed to residents to support ongoing counter-terrorism operations by providing timely and credible intelligence that could assist security agencies in locating and apprehending the identified terrorist leaders.
The task force advised citizens not to confront or attempt to arrest the suspects but to report any useful information through established security reporting channels or via the dedicated hotline, 0708 498 8859.
Operation HADIN KAI said the latest intelligence breakthrough underscored the gains being made through sustained military offensives and intelligence-driven operations against terrorist groups in the North-East.
