The Nigerian Army troops of Operation Hadin Kai have justified their decision to strike a suspected terrorist location in Jilli Village, Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State.
At least 56 people were feared killed after a military airstrike hit a weekly market at Jilli village, located along the border between Borno State and Yobe State, on Saturday evening.
The incident, which occurred at the popular Jilli Market between the Gubio and Geidam areas, reportedly left traders and residents in a state of panic as explosions rocked the busy trading centre.
The strikes, executed on April 11, 2026, were conducted by the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI in coordination with the Nigerian Army, following an earlier operation that targeted and destroyed terrorist positions in the area.
However, in a statement on Sunday, the Media Information Officer, Northeast Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Lt. Col. Sanni Uba, said the location was a known terrorist enclave and logistics hub long identified as a major movement corridor and convergence point for Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists and their collaborators.
He reiterated his administration’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding law-abiding citizens and sustaining collaborative efforts with security agencies to restore lasting peace and stability across the state.
“The Governor further urged residents to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that will aid ongoing military operations,” Illiya said.
Recall PUNCH Online earlier reported that no fewer than 30 people were feared killed after a military airstrike struck the weekly market at Jilli village, located along the border between Borno State and Yobe State, on Saturday evening.
The incident, which occurred at the popular Jilli Market, reportedly left traders and residents in a state of panic as explosions rocked the busy trading centre.
The strikes executed on April 11, 2026, were conducted by the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI in coordination with the Nigerian Army, following an earlier operation that targeted and destroyed terrorist positions in the area.
However, in a statement on Sunday, the Media Information Officer, Northeast Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Lt. Col. Sanni Uba, said the location was a known terrorist enclave and logistics hub long identified as a major movement corridor and convergence point for Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists and their collaborators.
“The Air Component of Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), in a carefully, well-coordinated, planned, and intelligence-driven operation, has successfully conducted a precision air strike on a known terrorist enclave and logistics hub located near the abandoned village of Jilli in Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State. The successful strike, executed on 11 April, 2026, followed sustained Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions over the Bindul–Jilli axis, an area long identified as a major terrorist movement corridor and convergence point for Islamic State West Africa Province terrorists and their collaborators,” he said.
Uba cited a recent attack on troops in the area which led to the death of eight soldiers, while several others were wounded in action.
“It will be recalled that in January 2026, troops moving from Gubio towards Damasak came under a major Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack along the road at Bindul, resulting in the tragic loss of eight soldiers, while several others were wounded in action. More recently, on 9 April, coordinated attacks were recorded in Ngamdu and Benisheik, supported by the same terrorist logistics network.”
He said, consequently, the theatre command intensified overhead surveillance and intelligence gathering across the area in response to persistent reports of terrorist movement and logistics activity.
According to him, multiple reports were received on April 11, 2026, indicating that ISWAP gun trucks (GT) and motorcycles (MC) were moving along the axis.
“Consequently, ISR coverage over the area was immediately intensified. During the surveillance mission, a contingent of motorcycles was observed moving in the direction of Jilli, followed shortly by the movement of several additional vehicles, all converging on the same location. These suspicious movements were subsequently corroborated by credible human intelligence sources, confirming that the converging elements were terrorists, their collaborators, and logistics handlers,” he said.
“It is imperative to state that, in line with established operational procedures, a rigorous and professional targeting process was undertaken,” he added.
He further noted that target fidelity was confirmed through multiple credible human intelligence sources, supported by persistent aerial surveillance.
“Upon final validation, the Air Component executed a series of precision strikes on the objective, while surveillance platforms maintained continuous overwatch for real-time battle damage assessment,” he said.
“Equally important to note, the post-strike assessment confirmed that the target area was struck with high accuracy, destroying the identified terrorist logistics enclave. Scores of terrorists were neutralised in the strike, with their vehicles and technicals destroyed, while surviving elements were observed fleeing in multiple directions,” he stressed.
According to him, intelligence further indicates that the neutralised elements were in the final stages of receiving logistics from couriers for coordinated attacks on troop locations within the Gubio axis.
“This decisive action has therefore significantly disrupted imminent terrorist plans and degraded their operational capability within the theatre,” he stated.
He further explained that on April 12, 2026, a terrorist logistics courier identified as “Turja Bulu” was arrested in Ngamdu town and, upon preliminary investigation, confessed to taking part in the attack on a 29 Brigade location on April 9, 2026, in Benisheik. He said the suspect had been dispatched by ISWAP from Jilli, where many of his fellow terrorists were hibernating, to provide food items for another group of terrorists currently hibernating around the Magumeri–Gubio general area.
“This successful strike is yet another demonstration of the resolve and operational capability of OPHK to sustain relentless pressure on terrorist elements, disrupt their logistics networks, and deny them freedom of movement within the theatre,” he said.
He reiterated the command’s ban on the use of motorcycles across the North-East operational theatre, particularly in Borno and Yobe states, due to their continued use by terrorist elements for movement, logistics, and attack operations.
“Any such movements in restricted areas are therefore treated with the utmost seriousness in line with existing operational directives,” he said.
