Troops of the Nigerian Army have apprehended a suspected member of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) who was reportedly attempting to gather intelligence on soldiers in Baga town, Kukawa LGA, Borno state.
In a statement issued on Friday, the army described the suspect as the “logistics and intelligence courier between terrorist enclaves in Chad and Niger Republic.”
According to the statement, the individual has been transferred to the 403 Amphibious Brigade for further interrogation.
“Similarly, on 8 October 2025, troops of 196 Amphibious Battalion at Baga in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State arrested an ISWAP/JAS terrorist fighter while attempting to infiltrate the town,” the army confirmed.
They added that “preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect served as a logistics and intelligence courier between terrorist enclaves in Chad and Niger Republic, with the intent to spy on troop movements under the guise of a surrendering fighter.”
In a separate update, the army reported that three ISWAP members who surrendered in Niger state attributed their decision to “intense military pressure and hardship in terrorist enclaves around the Tumbun Marcobina axis.”
“The suspects, originally from Konduga and Jabilam, have been profiled for further debriefing,” the statement noted.
Additionally, the army announced that during a joint operation on 7 October 2025, troops of 2 Brigade working with Department of State Services officers from the Port Harcourt Command stormed a suspected kidnappers’ base in Eket LGA, Akwa Ibom state, and detained a key suspect identified as Emmanuel Akpan, described as a major kidnapping figure active along the Oron/Ibaka route.
“The suspect is currently in DSS custody for further investigation.”