Troops of Operation Hadin Kai, have rescued 53 civilians from a terrorist roadblock in Borno State and arrested two suspected logistics suppliers to terrorists in neighbouring Yobe State.

The military disclosed this in an operational report on Friday in Abuja.

According to the report, troops of the 135 Special Forces Battalion, deployed at Dutse Kura in Borno, responded swiftly after spotting suspected ISWAP/JAS terrorists mounting a roadblock along the Buratai–Kamuya road through surveillance cameras.

It said the troops engaged the terrorists in a firefight, forcing them to retreat into the bush before rescuing 53 stranded civilians and recovering eight vehicles trapped by the insurgents.

“The rescued civilians comprised 48 adults, including 20 males and 28 females, as well as five children.

“The victims and recovered vehicles were moved to Buratai for further action, while troops cleared the route and dominated the area,” the report stated.

The report added that troops of the 27 Task Force in Yobe, arrested two suspected logistics suppliers to ISWAP/JAS terrorists during a snap checkpoint operation along the Buni Gari–Bara road in Gujba Local Government Area.

It said the suspects were intercepted with two motorcycles, 30 jerrycans of 25 litres each filled with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), one mobile phone and N49,650 in cash.

The report added that the suspects and recovered items were in military custody for further investigation.

“Also in Borno, troops of the 109 Special Forces Battalion raided a drug den in Magumeri town and arrested four suspected drug peddlers.

“Items recovered included 164 wraps of cannabis, tramadol tablets, cough syrups, methylene chloride, locally known as “suck and die”, mobile phones and other illicit substances.

“Meanwhile, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team of 5 Brigade successfully detected and safely destroyed an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by suspected terrorists along the Damasak–Gubio road in Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno,” it said.

The report further disclosed that an air interdiction mission over Tunbuma in Abadam Local Government Area of Borno neutralised 13 suspected terrorists gathered with large herds of cattle.

It added that surveillance later tracked fleeing terrorists to a larger camp believed to house more fighters, their families and livestock.

The military said troops across other theatres of operations remained on offensive missions, with the overall security situation remaining tense but under close monitoring.