Operation Hadin Kai: Nigerian Military Arrests Soldiers, Police, and Civilians for Arms Trade with Boko Haram

Strategic Insights -

The Nigerian military, attached with Operation Hadin Kai, has arrested 18 soldiers, 15 mobile policemen, and 8 civilians, including a traditional ruler, for allegedly supplying arms and ammunition to non-state actors. The arrests come as the Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, Major-General Abdulsalam Abubakar, accused foreign mercenaries of providing training for members of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The arrests are a result of a stringent measure being put in place for culprits, with a total of 186 suspected B/Haram, ISWAP logistics suppliers arrested in 5 months.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Nigerian military has arrested 18 soldiers, 15 mobile policemen, and 8 civilians for allegedly supplying arms and ammunition to non-state actors.
  • Foreign mercenaries have been accused of providing training for members of Boko Haram and ISWAP, resulting in the use of drones in the theatre.
  • Preliminary findings from the ongoing investigation reveal community pressure on serving security personnel to supply arms and ammunition for communal conflicts as a driving factor.
  • The lucrative nature of trading in ammunition is also driving its persistence.
  • A total of N45 million and N34 million have been discovered in the accounts of two soldiers involved in ammunition racketeering.
  • Over 186 terrorist logistics suppliers, spies, and collaborators have been arrested across the theatre of operation.
  • The Joint Task Force has recorded over 12 drone incidents since 2004 to date, with the Nigerian Army establishing the Nigerian Army's Unmanned Aerial Base Command in 2022.
  • Foreign mercenaries are facilitating tactical and strategic training for terrorists, leading to the use of drones and advanced improvised explosive devices.
  • The theatre has continued to warn troops at all levels of the severe repercussions and sanctions of ammunition racketeering.
  • Those found culpable have been dismissed and handed over to the police to serve as a deterrent.

Statistics:

  • 186 suspected B/Haram, ISWAP logistics suppliers arrested in 5 months
  • Over 10,000 locals have returned to their ancestral homes in Kukawa town
  • 694 terrorists killed
  • 603 assault weapons recovered
  • 56 RPG bombs recovered
  • 16 mortar bombs recovered
  • 147,137 units of anti-aircraft weapons recovered
  • 16 pick-up vehicles recovered
  • 4 Pakistani nationals involved in arms running with terrorists
  • Over 12 drone incidents recorded by the Joint Task Force since 2004
  • N45 million and N34 million discovered in the accounts of two soldiers involved in ammunition racketeering
  • N135 million passed through the account of a policeman identified as Insp. Enoch Ngwa, who was arrested for arms racketeering

Sources:

  • Daily Trust
  • Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, Abdulsalam Abubakar
  • Staff Officer Grade Two OPHK, Major Ademola Owolana
  • Chief of Staff, Operation Hadin Kai, Brig.-Gen. Adamu Ibrahim
  • Acting Commander of the FOB, Major Darush Yusuf
  • Intelligence expert, Abdullahi Garba