On December 12, 2022, Commanders Mala’ana (Khaid), a Governor, Abu Dauda (Munzir), Modu Yalee (Commander), and Bin Diska (Nakif) surrendered to Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) troops who were patrolling the Gwoza local government region of the state.
According to Zagazola Makama, a Counter-Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region, this new information confirms that the insurgents emerged from the Sambisa forest, where they had been hiding, and are now launching terror attacks against the state.
According to the accounts, they were once commanders under Abubakar Shekau at the Njimiya camp. Still, they disarmed and joined ISWAP in Lake Chad following the May 2021 invasion of Sambisa Forest, ultimately resulting in Shekau’s death.
Later, however, the four Commanders turned their backs on ISWAP and escaped to Sambisa, where they set up camp and began acting independently.
A combination of a prolonged, intensified onslaught on terrorist hideouts and rivalry attacks drove them to surrender out of fear of being wiped out on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Major General Christopher Musa, the OPHK Theatre Commander, reported that 83,000 Boko Haram fighters had surrendered and received rehabilitation in Borno State.
On Friday, December 16, 2022, while on a tour of command and formations under his supervision, General Musa made this statement during a meeting with Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State.
Over half of the 83,000 were minors, who could have been used as combatants if they had not surrendered, according to the theatre commander, who regarded the command’s efforts as successful.
He said, “God has been very generous to us; we have received a lot of surrendered individuals. We are moving almost 83,000 now; out of that number, over 41,000 are children.
“The terrorists are trying to develop a new set of terrorists, their children, and that would have been very dangerous because, you know, normally for children when they grow up and whatever they see is what they copy.
“So, if they grow and think killing is natural, they become very dangerous.”
After praising the Chief of Army Staff for his backing, the theatre commander pledged that the military and other security agencies would continue to develop and implement tactics to end terrorism in the region as soon as possible.
“Whatever it takes, whatever it needs for us to have peace, we are determined to achieve that. The Chief of Army Staff has been very supportive in all we are doing, and that has made our work much easier,” he added.
