A senior financier of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), along with two of his sons, has surrendered to troops of the Joint Task Force North East, Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK).
This development was made known in a statement issued on Sunday by the Acting Media Information Officer for Headquarters OPHK, Captain Mohammed Goni, stating that the surrendered terrorist was the chief finance operative of the ISWAP enclave at Jubillaram of the Lake Chad Basin.
The statement reads in part, “The surrender of such a key finance operative represents another significant setback for ISWAP.
“Coupled with the increasing number of recent surrenders, this development confirms deepening disillusionment within terrorist ranks and points to an accelerating wave of defections.”
An AK-47 rifle, four magazines, 101 rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition, a motorcycle, and ₦40,000 in cash were recovered from the ISWAP financier, and he and his children are reportedly presently undergoing detailed profiling and interrogation in order to retrieve reliable intelligence to support ongoing operations in the region.
The Nigerian Army (NA) further urged other terrorists to lay down their weapons and partner with the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) in its fight against terrorism.