Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have apprehended Shariff Umar, also known as Yusuf, identified as the main organizer of a suicide bombing network responsible for recent attacks and foiled plots in Borno and other North-Eastern states.
Lt. Col. Sani Uba, Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force North East, disclosed on Saturday in Maiduguri that investigations revealed Umar’s central role in recruiting, training, and deploying suicide bombers, as well as managing logistics and IED components.
A suspected suicide bomber in custody, Ibrahim Muhammad, identified Umar as the ringleader. Umar was linked to the December 24, 2025, suicide bombing at Gamboru Market Mosque and a foiled attack in Damaturu, where he personally handed IED components to an intended bomber.
Further investigations implicated his wife, Yagana Modu, and his stepdaughter, Amina, in concealing network activities. All 14 suspects remain in custody as authorities continue multi-layered investigations to dismantle the network, uncover collaborators, and recover remaining explosives.
Uba emphasized the importance of timely intelligence and community cooperation in preventing attacks and saving lives, urging residents to report suspicious activity.
In a related development, the Nigerian Air Force conducted an intelligence-led air interdiction campaign between January 1 and 2, 2026, targeting terrorist hideouts across the North-East and North-West under Operations Hadin Kai and Fansan Yamma Sector 2.
Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame said strikes targeted concealed terrorist enclaves in Abirma and Chiralia within the Timbuktu Triangle, destroying facilities linked to IED production and attack planning. Follow-up operations at Guva in the Mandara Mountains dismantled storage and coordination nodes.
The campaign extended to Karaduwa Giginya Na in Katsina State, engaging terrorists moving in large motorcycle convoys. Post-strike assessments confirmed the neutralization of several terrorists, destruction of motorcycles, and elimination of weapons.
The Nigerian Air Force assured that these operations would continue with precision and professionalism in support of joint ground forces, vowing decisive action against terrorist elements threatening civilians and national security.
