Two suspected members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have surrendered to troops of the Nigerian Army in Monguno Local Government Area of Borno State, in what security officials described as another breakthrough in the ongoing counter-insurgency campaign in the North-East.
The suspects, identified as Jidda Modu, 20, and Kaka Kawu, 21, reportedly surrendered at about 8:20 p.m. on September 1 to troops of Headquarters Sector 3 deployed at Charlie 4 in Monguno.
Security sources disclosed that the two men arrived with weapons and other personal belongings, voluntarily handing them over to the troops.
Items recovered from the suspects included two AK-47 rifles, eight rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and two magazines.
The troops also recovered five mobile phones—an Infinix, Tecno, Samsung, Redmi and a Tecno button phone—as well as a pair of earbuds, a power bank, a Zenith Bank ATM card, a memory card, a USB cable, two head warmers and one bag.
According to preliminary findings from military interrogators, the pair were among a group of about 10 ISWAP members who reportedly left a terrorist camp at Arinna Chiki with the intention of surrendering to government forces.
The suspects and all recovered items have since been taken into the custody of Headquarters Sector 3 for further investigation and other necessary procedures.
The latest surrender comes as troops under Operation HADIN KAI continue sustained offensive operations against terrorist enclaves across the North-East, increasing pressure on insurgent groups and prompting more fighters to abandon the insurgency and surrender to security forces.
