Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have successfully foiled coordinated attacks by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) in Mayanti, Gajigana and Gajiram, recovering heavy arms and ammunition in the process.
In a statement issued by Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, Media Information Officer at Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East), the troops under the Joint Task Force (North East) demonstrated resilience and battlefield dominance during the failed assaults carried out between the late hours of February 28 and early hours of March 1, 2026.
Heavy Clashes at FOB Mayanti
On February 28, FOB Mayanti came under intense attack by a large number of terrorists. Despite heavy enemy fire, troops held their ground while reinforcements navigated ambushes and improvised explosive device (IED) threats to repel the attackers.
Exploitation operations confirmed the recovery of five terrorist corpses and significant combat equipment, including:
Three PKT automatic anti-aircraft guns
Two RPG-7 tubes
Four AK-47 rifles
Two FN rifles
Three RPG bombs
Large quantities of 7.62mm ammunition
Blood trails at the scene indicated additional casualties among the fleeing insurgents. An officer, however, paid the supreme price during the encounter.
Gajiram Attack Repelled with Air Support
At about 0115 hours on March 1, terrorists armed with PKT guns, RPGs and armed drones attacked FOB Gajiram but were repelled by determined troops with support from air assets.
Three terrorist bodies were recovered along the withdrawal route, alongside:
Four AK-47 rifles
Five anti-tank bombs
Three locally fabricated mortar bombs
One armed drone
Six fully loaded 7.62mm NATO magazines
Barbed wire cutters and specialised ammunition
Poisoned arrows and other abandoned items
One wounded soldier was airlifted by a Nigerian Army Aviation helicopter for advanced medical care.
In related operations under Sector 2, troops engaged terrorists at Kayawa Village, forcing them to flee and abandon a tricycle, three motorcycles and five bicycles. Identified terrorist life-support structures were destroyed, while two confessed ISWAP logistics suppliers were arrested. Drugs and medical consumables intended for treating wounded insurgents were also recovered.
Additionally, during an ambush around Bulturam Corner and Dadingel in Gujba Local Government Area, troops neutralised two terrorists and recovered two AK-47 rifles, four magazines, a bicycle and other sundry items.
The military confirmed that all locations remain firmly under control, noting that the scale of recoveries and confirmed enemy losses further reflects the degrading combat capacity of ISWAP elements in the North-East.
