The Nigerian Army has confirmed the killing of a notorious terrorist commander, Amir Abu Fatima, during a special military operation in the Kukawa axis of northern Borno State.
The operation, carried out in the early hours of Friday by Special Forces of 19 Brigade under Sector 3 of Operation Hadin Kai, targeted insurgents’ hideouts around the Lake Chad region. The Army announced the success of the mission in a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle.
A reliable military source told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the strike was a “precision decapitation strike” specifically aimed at neutralising Abu Fatima, who had long been on the most-wanted list of security agencies due to his involvement in orchestrating several high-profile terrorist attacks across the Lake Chad Basin.
According to the source, elite troops infiltrated the terrorist enclave and engaged the fighters in a fierce gun battle.
“Abu Fatima was critically wounded and captured alive but later died from excessive bleeding due to gunshot wounds,” the source said.
The military source also confirmed that Abu Fatima’s second-in-command, along with several bomb-makers and foot soldiers, were neutralised in the operation.
Weapons and equipment recovered from the terrorists’ camp include AK-47 rifles, loaded magazines, components for Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), and other military-grade weaponry.
Describing the strike as a “major tactical and psychological blow” to terrorist networks operating within the region, the source emphasized the Army’s continued resolve to dismantle all threats to national security in the Northeast.
