Troops have shot dead 438 Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province fighters in the past seven months, the military said on Saturday.
Maj-Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar, who runs Operation Hadin Kai in the north-east, gave the update at a 2025 Christmas lunch for soldiers in Maiduguri. He said soldiers also seized 254 weapons and about 300 Starlink sets that militants had been using to coordinate attacks and gather intelligence.
In the same period, 366 civilians—women and children among them—were freed from militant camps, while 881 fighters and their relatives surrendered, Abubakar added.
The general said the figures show “how far we’ve pushed these groups: their numbers are down and their morale is shot.”
He praised the troops for holding the line through the tough dry-season offensive still under way and vowed they would “keep the heat on until the region is quiet again.”
Abubakar credited the gains to support from Chief of Army Staff Lt-Gen Olufemi Oluyede—better kit, steady supply lines and closer intel sharing—as well as teamwork among the services and other security agencies. He thanked the federal and Borno state governments for backing the operation and saluted comrades killed in action, urging those still in the field to stay sharp and disciplined.
The luncheon itself was part morale-booster, part thank-you, wrapped up with prayers and messages of goodwill for troops on duty across the theatre.
