Nigerian Troops Arrest 15-Year-Old ISWAP Courier Linked To Benisheik, Ngamdu Attacks In Borno

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have arrested a 15-year-old suspected logistics courier for the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Ngamdu, Borno State, in connection with recent insurgent attacks and ongoing military operations in the Jilli axis.

Security sources told counter-insurgency analyst Zagazola Makama that the suspect, identified as Tijjani, was apprehended on Sunday while allegedly attempting to procure supplies for insurgent fighters operating along the Ngamdu–Benisheik corridor.

According to the sources, the teenager confessed during preliminary interrogation to participating in the attacks on Benisheik and Ngamdu carried out on Thursday.

“My name is Tijjani, I am 15 years old. I was arrested today in Ngamdu. I was among the terrorists that attacked Benisheik and Ngamdu,” the source quoted him as saying.

He was said to have revealed that the group mobilised from Jilli, a known insurgent stronghold in Gubio Local Government Area, before carrying out the attacks and later retreating to the enclave.

“Before the attack we came from Jilli and returned there after the attack,” he said.

The suspect also disclosed that he was redeployed from Jilli on Saturday with N850,000 to procure supplies for fellow fighters.

“I was sent from Jilli yesterday with N850,000 to collect some logistics from Ngamdu, but I was arrested by troops,” he reportedly stated.

He added that he left other fighters behind at the Jilli enclave but could not ascertain their fate following recent military airstrikes on the area.

Military sources said the suspect’s arrest offers fresh insight into the operational structure and logistics network of ISWAP in the region, particularly the strategic role of Jilli as a staging ground and supply hub.

The development comes less than 24 hours after the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai carried out airstrikes on the Jilli axis, reportedly destroying a major terrorist logistics base and killing several insurgents.

The strikes, which followed sustained Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, targeted a cluster of motorcycles and vehicles believed to be used by insurgents and their logistics handlers.

Field reports indicated that at least two motorcycles and one vehicle were destroyed, while a number of fighters were neutralised in the operation.

Sources added that some insurgents initially fled upon hearing approaching aircraft but later returned under cover of darkness to evacuate casualties.

Military authorities have consistently described Jilli as a “no man’s land” under insurgent control, where activities such as a so-called weekly market serve as coordination and supply points for terrorist operations.

The arrest of the teenage suspect, who admitted to transporting funds and facilitating supplies, highlights the reliance of insurgent groups on logistics couriers, including minors, to sustain their operations.

Security experts say disrupting such supply chains remains critical to weakening the operational capacity of insurgent groups in the North-East.

The military has reiterated its commitment to maintaining pressure on terrorist enclaves through coordinated air and ground operations aimed at dismantling logistics networks and preventing further attacks on both security personnel and civilian communities.

Investigations into the suspect’s activities and possible accomplices are ongoing.