The Nigerian Army under Operation Hadin Kai has defended the airstrike carried out in Jilli Village, Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State, insisting that the operation targeted a known terrorist hideout and logistics hub.
This comes after reports that no fewer than 30 people were feared killed when a military airstrike hit a weekly market in the area on Saturday evening, sparking panic as explosions rocked the busy trading centre along the Borno–Yobe border.
The Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI, working in coordination with the Nigerian Army, said the strike was based on intelligence and surveillance operations aimed at terrorist positions in the region.
In a statement on Sunday, the Media Information Officer of the Northeast Joint Task Force, Lt. Col. Sanni Uba, said the area had long been identified as a major terrorist corridor linked to Islamic State West Africa Province (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 recalled that troops had previously suffered casualties in the same axis, including a deadly Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack earlier in the year.
“It will be recalled that in January 2026, troops moving from Gubio towards Damasak came under a major Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack along the road at Bindul, resulting in the tragic loss of eight soldiers, while several others were wounded in action. More recently, on 9 April, coordinated attacks were recorded in Ngamdu and Benisheik, supported by the same terrorist logistics network.”
He explained that intelligence reports on April 11 indicated movement of suspected ISWAP fighters along the Jilli axis, which led to intensified surveillance.
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“Consequently, ISR coverage over the area was immediately intensified. During the surveillance mission, a contingent of motorcycles was observed moving in the direction of Jilli, followed shortly by the movement of several additional vehicles, all converging on the same location. These suspicious movements were subsequently corroborated by credible human intelligence sources, confirming that the converging elements were terrorists, their collaborators, and logistics handlers,” he said.
Uba added that a rigorous targeting process was carried out before the strike was executed.
“Upon final validation, the Air Component executed a series of precision strikes on the objective, while surveillance platforms maintained continuous overwatch for real-time battle damage assessment,” he said.
He further stated that post-strike assessments confirmed the destruction of a terrorist logistics base, with several fighters neutralised.
“Equally important to note, the post-strike assessment confirmed that the target area was struck with high accuracy, destroying the identified terrorist logistics enclave. Scores of terrorists were neutralised in the strike, with their vehicles and technicals destroyed, while surviving elements were observed fleeing in multiple directions,” he stressed.
According to him, intelligence also showed that the gathered terrorists were preparing for coordinated attacks on military positions in the Gubio axis.
“This decisive action has therefore significantly disrupted imminent terrorist plans and degraded their operational capability within the theatre,” he stated.
He also revealed that a suspected logistics courier, identified as “Turja Bulu,” was arrested in Ngamdu and confessed to involvement in recent attacks and supply movements for ISWAP elements operating around the region.
Uba reiterated the military’s ban on motorcycle movement in parts of the North-East, warning that violators would be treated as security threats due to their use by insurgents for operations and logistics.