Boko Haram is still trying to flex its muscles in Borno State, but our troops aren't having it. On Monday, September 7, 2026, soldiers from the 27 Task Force Brigade, part of Operation HADIN KAI, were on patrol along the Buni Gari-Buratai road when terrorists decided to try and catch them unawares. Fortunately, the soldiers saw them coming and turned the tables.

During the encounter, which happened around 10:45 a.m., one of the army's armoured vehicles, a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle, unfortunately drove over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). The source says it damaged two of its tyres. But the soldiers, instead of panicking, regrouped and went after the attackers. Captain Mohammed Goni, the Acting Media Information Officer for the Joint Task Force North East, Operation HADIN KAI, shared the good news in a statement released Tuesday. He said the troops managed to recover quite a haul from the ambush site: one AK-47 magazine, 30 rounds of 7.62x39mm special ammunition, two RPG bombs, a motorcycle, and two bicycles.

Apparently, no soldiers were hurt, which is always the main thing. The troops haven't stopped their push to keep the area secure and make sure these terrorists can't move around freely.

And in what looks like a crack in the terrorist ranks, four family members of suspected Boko Haram fighters, including a tiny eight-month-old baby, gave themselves up to troops from the 192 Battalion. This happened on Sunday, September 6, near the Gwoza-Limankara road. Military sources say these folks came from a place called the Hiduwa terrorist enclave, deep in the Mandara Mountains in Gwoza. They told the soldiers that life there was just too hard, with no basic necessities. So, they decided to make a run for it and find safety.

The group is now with the troops, being screened and checked out.

It's not just about fighting; the army is also busy clearing the roads. Troops from the 19th Battalion, under the 25 Brigade, found and safely detonated an IED that suspected terrorists had buried along the Damboa-Bulabulin-Maiduguri road. This happened around noon on Monday during a patrol. The explosive was found near a place called Asorok, just before Bulabulin. The soldiers were quick to secure the area and make sure the IED was taken care of before it could hurt anyone or damage any vehicles, whether military or civilian.

After making sure the road was clear, they continued their mission towards the Kumala checkpoint.

Meanwhile, in a slightly different twist, troops from the 25 Brigade, with the help of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), nabbed a man they suspect is a foreigner on the Azir-Damboa road. This happened on Saturday evening, September 5, after locals tipped off the soldiers about a suspicious person. The man, when questioned, claimed to be from Cameroon. He told the troops he'd entered Nigeria through Taraba State and was heading towards Niger State looking for work, but got lost along the way. He's being held by the military while they try to figure out exactly who he is and how he ended up there.

These operations highlight the continuous efforts by the Nigerian military to maintain security in the Northeast, tackling threats from Boko Haram and other extremist groups while also managing related humanitarian situations.