Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have recorded a major operational breakthrough in the North-East with the arrest of two suspected suicide bombers linked to the deadly Dec. 24 attack on a mosque at Gamboru Market in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The arrests followed sustained intelligence-led operations by troops of the Joint Task Force North East (JTF NE) across Borno and Yobe states, alongside the disruption of key logistics networks believed to be sustaining Boko Haram terror activities.
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One of the suspects was apprehended in Banki town, Borno State, during joint patrols and targeted operations by OPHK troops, while the second suspect was earlier arrested in Damaturu, Yobe State, in connection with the Gamboru Market Mosque suicide bombing.
Zagazola Makama reports that the Dec. 24 attack formed part of coordinated plans by terror groups, including Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), Ansaru and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), to execute suicide bombings and improvised explosive device (IED) attacks across parts of the North-East.
Security sources disclosed that a Boko Haram cell led by a notorious IED expert, Munzir Abu Ziyadah, allegedly prepared up to 10 person-borne improvised explosive devices (PBIEDs) at the Ali Ngulde camp axis.
The terrorists reportedly moved through the Ngoshe Mountains towards Gazuwa and Ngom, infiltrating several communities in Borno State ahead of the planned attacks.
One of the bombers successfully detonated an explosive inside the Gamboru Market Mosque on Dec. 24, killing five worshippers and injuring 32 others.
Following the attack, the Theatre Commander, Joint Task Force North East, Operation Hadin Kai, Maj. Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, ordered an immediate shift from routine security presence to aggressive hunter-killer and pre-emptive interdiction operations across the theatre.
The commander also directed a reconfiguration of forces with emphasis on intelligence-led missions, reinforced security around places of worship and markets, and tighter control of movement corridors within Maiduguri and surrounding frontline communities.
Security sources told Zagazola that at about 5:40 p.m. on Dec. 29, troops deployed at the Banki Central Mosque intercepted a suspected suicide bomber in possession of primed IED materials. Further investigation reportedly led to the recovery of additional incriminating items from the suspect, who is currently undergoing detailed interrogation.
Meanwhile, investigations into the Gamboru Market Mosque bombing have also recorded fresh breakthroughs with the arrest and repatriation of another suspect from Yobe State.
The suspect, identified as Ibrahim, was arrested in Damaturu by a local hunters’ group working in collaboration with Operation Hadin Kai and was brought back to Maiduguri on Dec. 29 for further interrogation.
According to the sources, Ibrahim was taken to the Izala Mosque in the Tashan Joni area of Maiduguri, where he identified a location he claimed to have dropped a bag containing an IED after he could not get close enough to detonate it. However, the bag was not found at the spot.
Further interrogation reportedly led the suspect to confess that he planted another bomb in a bag at the entrance of the Gamboru Market Mosque on Dec. 24, while his accomplice, identified as Adamu, now deceased, entered the mosque wearing a suicide vest which was detonated inside the mosque.
The suspect also revealed that six suicide bombers were deployed to Maiduguri ahead of the attack under the coordination of a terror kingpin. He reportedly named three of the bombers—Salisu, Yusuf and Adamu—as residents of Maiduguri, while the remaining three—another Adamu, Yusuf and Abdullahi—allegedly came from Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
In a related operation, troops deployed at the Cameroon–Nigeria border intercepted a Peugeot vehicle conveying six bags of urea fertilizer, a key component used in the manufacture of IEDs. The driver and the consignment were taken into custody, while follow-up operations led to the arrest of the fertilizer dealer and the recovery of an additional six bags of urea.
Security sources said the arrests and seizures underscored the sustained intelligence-driven operations of Operation Hadin Kai, aimed at dismantling suicide bombing cells, cutting off IED supply chains and preventing further attacks on civilian and religious targets across Borno State.
