…as military confirms foreign fighters’ presence in Nigeria after BusinessDay exclusive story
..It shows our military operations yielding results- Makama
The recent arrest of a suspected foreign ISIS operative by the Nigerian military could signal a significant shift in the nation’s counterterrorism efforts. This development confirms earlier reporting by Business Sunday regarding the Sahel crisis, where terrorists attempted to infiltrate a town to loot essential cholera medication and other supplies alongside foreign nationals, including a cameraman.
Troops from Operation Hadin Kai captured the suspect—believed to be a Moroccan national—on Monday during exploitation operations in the Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State. This mission followed a failed attack by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on Cross Kauwa in the Kukawa Local Government Area last Sunday. During the initial assault, military personnel neutralised an ISWAP cameraman, leading to the recovery of video footage and a Sony camcorder that proved instrumental in identifying the foreign suspect through joint forensic analysis with international partners.
Military sources indicate the suspect is currently undergoing intelligence exploitation. This breakthrough reinforces long-standing intelligence assessments regarding the presence of foreign nationals within terrorist ranks and is expected to provide deeper insight into the structure of ISIS support networks in the Lake Chad region. Military authorities have promised to share further details as investigations proceed.
