Troops Arrest Suspected Foreign Terrorist Fighter, Alleged Illegal Immigrant in Borno Crackdown

Troops of Operation HADIN KAI have arrested a suspected foreign terrorist fighter believed to be linked to insurgent groups, along with an alleged illegal immigrant, during a security operation in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

The arrests were made by troops of the 115 Task Force Battalion, Sector 4, at about 11:48 a.m. on July 19, 2026, in Lassa, Dille General Area, as part of ongoing intelligence-led counter-terrorism operations across the North-East.

According to the Acting Military Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI, Captain Mohammed Goni, the operation led to the arrest of Musa Fashir, a 32-year-old Sudanese national suspected to be a foreign terrorist fighter and collaborator.

Preliminary intelligence, the military said, indicates that the suspect has established links with terrorist elements, raising fresh concerns over the involvement of foreign actors in supporting insurgent activities in the region.

During the same operation, troops also apprehended Mary Florence, 36, who claimed to be an illegal immigrant from the Republic of Ghana. Military authorities said investigations are ongoing to verify her identity, immigration status and the circumstances surrounding her presence in the area.

Both suspects are currently in military custody, where they are undergoing profiling and interrogation to establish their identities, determine the extent of their activities, and ascertain any possible links to terrorist organisations or transnational criminal networks.

The military described the arrests as another major breakthrough in its sustained intelligence-driven operations aimed at dismantling terrorist networks and preventing the infiltration of foreign fighters into the North-East.

Operation HADIN KAI said the development underscores the vigilance of its troops in denying terrorists and their collaborators freedom of movement while disrupting logistics, financing and support structures that sustain insurgency in the region.

The Joint Task Force reaffirmed its commitment to neutralising terrorist threats and restoring lasting peace and security across the North-East. It also urged residents to continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible information, stressing that public cooperation remains vital to ongoing counter-terrorism efforts.

Captain Mohammed Goni, Acting Military Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI, disclosed the development in a statement issued in Maiduguri on Monday.