The Nigerian military has identified one Shariff Umar, also known as Yusuf, as the suspected principal coordinator of a suicide bombing network linked to recent deadly attacks and attempted strikes across the North-East.
The identification followed intelligence-led operations carried out by troops of the Joint Task Force North East, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), according to a statement issued on Saturday in Maiduguri by the task force’s Media Information Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba.
Uba said the breakthrough came after a series of cordon-and-search operations conducted in the Kalmari area of Maiduguri on 31 December 2025. During the operation, 14 suspects believed to be connected to suicide bombing activities were arrested.
According to the military, subsequent investigations helped uncover the structure, roles and operational linkages of the terror cell. “This development followed intelligence-led cordon-and-search operations conducted at the Kalmari area of Maiduguri on 31st December 2025, during which 14 suspects linked to suicide bombing activities were arrested. Subsequent detailed identification and investigative processes established the structure, roles, and operational linkages of the terror cell,” the statement said.
The military disclosed that a detained suspected suicide bomber, Ibrahim Muhammad, provided crucial information during interrogation, directly implicating Shariff Umar as the ringleader of the network. “During the investigation, a suspected suicide bomber currently in custody, Ibrahim Muhammad, unequivocally identified Shariff Umar (also known as ‘Yusuf’) as the ringleader and coordinator of the terror network,” Uba stated.
Investigations revealed that Umar was responsible for recruiting, preparing, directing and deploying suicide bombers to assigned targets. He was also said to have coordinated logistics and the delivery of improvised explosive device (IED) components.
According to the statement, Umar directly coordinated the suicide bombing attack at the Gamboru Market Mosque in Maiduguri on 24 December 2025, during which an accomplice, identified as Adamu and now deceased, detonated a suicide vest. He was also accused of organising a foiled suicide bombing attempt in Damaturu, Yobe State, and of personally handing over IED components to an intended bomber in Maiduguri.
Further links within the network were also uncovered. The military alleged the involvement of Umar’s wife, Yagana Modu, while his stepdaughter, Amina, reportedly corroborated investigators’ findings by confirming that she had previously seen one of the suspected bombers at their residence.
“All suspects remain firmly in custody and are undergoing intensive, multi-layered investigations aimed at fully dismantling the network, identifying additional collaborators, and recovering any remaining explosives or logistical assets,” the statement said.
The military urged residents of the North-East to continue supporting security agencies by providing timely and credible information. Uba stressed that effective collaboration between security forces and local communities remained vital, noting that terrorist networks often survive by exploiting fear, silence or misplaced loyalty within communities.
