The Nigerian Army troops of Operation Hadin Kai have justified their decision to bomb a suspected terrorist location in Jilli Village, Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State.
Recall that at least 30 people were reported dead after a military airstrike hit a weekly market at Jilli village, Yobe state on Saturday.
Explosions rocked the bustling trading center at the well-known Jilli Market between the Gubio and Geidam regions, sending traders and locals into a state of fear.
The strikes, executed on April 11, 2026, were conducted by the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI in coordination with the Nigerian Army.
The strikes were launched following an earlier operation that targeted and destroyed terrorist positions in the area,
Army Reacts
However, Lt. Col. Sanni Uba, the Media Information Officer for the Northeast Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, in a statement on Sunday said the site was a known terrorist enclave and logistics hub that has long been recognised as a significant movement corridor and convergence point for ISWAP.
“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.
He claimed that as a result of ongoing reports of terrorist movement and logistical activity, the theatre command increased overhead surveillance and intelligence collection throughout the region.
He also added that on April 11, 2026, several indications were received indicating that ISWAP motorcycles (MC) and gun trucks (GT) were travelling along the axis.
Uba further said that sustained aerial surveillance and several reliable human intelligence sources verified target fidelity.
Conclusively, he reaffirmed the command’s restriction on motorcycle use accross the North-East operational theatre, especially in Borno and Yobe states.
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