Forty-seven individuals affiliated with Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) surrendered to troops on May 15, 2024. Lieutenant Colonel Abubakar Abdullahi, spokesperson for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), confirmed the surrenders in a press statement on Thursday.
The group of seven men, nine women, and 31 children, laid down arms to the 403 Amphibious Brigade of Sector 3 in Borno State. The statement revealed the individuals escaped from Sharama, a terrorist stronghold in Lake Chad, and returned to villages in Kukawa county (Local Government Area), previously under Boko Haram/ISWAP control.
While most of those who surrendered worked as farmers for the terrorists, a fighter with the Islamist jihadist organization Boko Haram faction led by Commander Alai Gana, Mallam Muazu Adamu, along with his wife, laid down his arms.
The reasons behind their defection remain unknown, but it coincides with intensified military operations against the extremist groups. Recent months have seen the Nigerian military, alongside the MNJTF, inflict significant losses on the insurgents. Authorities are currently investigating the surrendered individuals.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
