No fewer than 17 persons linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), including terrorist family members and a suspected fighter, have surrendered to the Nigerian military in different parts of Borno State.

Security analyst Zagazola Makama said the suspects surrendered across Dikwa, Bama and Ngala Local Council Areas between September 19 and 25.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives’ Deputy Spokesperson, Philip Agbese, has commended the Nigerian Armed Forces for their recent successes against terrorism and banditry, declaring that the military has moved beyond rhetoric to mounting sustained pressure on terrorist groups across the country.

In an interview yesterday, Agbese praised the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle, and the military chiefs for what he described as effective and strategic operational leadership.

Zagazola Makama disclosed that on September 19, a woman identified as a terrorist family member surrendered herself and two children to troops of the 24 Task Force Brigade at Checkpoint 1, along the Dikwa-Ajiri Road.

Another woman and her child were said to have also surrendered at the same checkpoint after they reportedly escaped from the Yaganari terrorist enclave to Gonori Village in Mafa council following factional clashes. She reportedly disclosed that her husband, Bakura Modu, was an ISWAP fighter.

Later that day, three more terrorist family members surrendered to troops of 151 Battalion at Bula Daloye in Bama council.

Moreover, a suspected terrorist surrendered to troops of 24 Task Force Brigade on September 24 after reportedly escaping from a camp in Gargash, while seven other terrorist family members surrendered to troops of 3 Mechanised Battalion at the Arabic IDP Camp in Ngala.

In the most recent incident on September 25, a woman from Bula Daloye and her son were said to have surrendered to troops in Bama, with preliminary investigation indicating that she had escaped from a terrorist camp in Bula Daloye following internal disagreements and hardship within the enclave.

He reportedly disclosed that her husband, Ibrahim Usman, is a terrorist fighter.

According to Agbese, the recent operations in the North-East and North-West demonstrated a shift from a largely reactive approach to sustained offensives targeting terrorist formations, logistics networks and support structures.

Agbese attributed the gains to improved intelligence, air and ground operations, and the greater coordination among the military services and other security agencies. (The Guardian)