Six family members of fighters belonging to the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, have surrendered to Nigerian Army troops in Borno State after reportedly escaping from a terrorist enclave.
The six surrendered at about 8:49 a.m. on Monday, September 28, 2026, to troops of Operation HADIN KAI in Pulka, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
Preliminary findings indicated that the individuals escaped from an ISWAP enclave in Bulakambula, Bama Local Government Area, before making their way to an area controlled by Nigerian troops.
The names, ages and relationships of the six individuals were not disclosed in the available report.
There was also no indication that they were themselves fighters.
They were identified specifically as family members of ISWAP fighters who had escaped from the terrorist enclave before surrendering to the military.
Following their surrender, the six were handed over to representatives of the Grassroots Initiative for Strengthening Community Resilience, GISCOR, at the organisation's office in Pulka for further assistance and processing.
In a separate development on the same morning, Nigerian troops rescued a female minor identified as a family member of an ISWAP fighter.
The girl was intercepted by troops at about 8:55 a.m. at Hudugum village along the Gwoza-Limankara road in Gwoza Local Government Area.
Preliminary information indicated that the minor had escaped from another terrorist enclave located at Waa in the Mandara Mountains.
Following her rescue, she was handed over to authorities at the Gwoza Internally Displaced Persons camp for appropriate care and further processing.
The two incidents occurred only minutes apart, although available information did not establish that the six people who surrendered in Pulka and the rescued minor had escaped together or were connected to the same ISWAP fighters.
The six were reported to have come from Bulakambula in Bama LGA, while the minor reportedly escaped from Waa in the Mandara Mountains.
Their movement out of the terrorist enclaves comes amid continuing military operations against ISWAP and other insurgent groups operating across parts of Borno State.
Operation HADIN KAI is the Nigerian military's counter-insurgency operation in the North-East, with troops deployed across areas affected by the Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgencies.
Gwoza and Bama are among the Borno communities that have remained central to military operations because of their proximity to mountainous and forest areas previously used by insurgent groups.
The Mandara Mountains, which extend along the Nigeria-Cameroon border, have also remained an operational area for terrorist elements and Nigerian security forces.
The latest surrender is not the first involving relatives of ISWAP members in Borno in recent months.
Between September 19 and September 25, at least 17 people linked to ISWAP, including family members and a suspected fighter, reportedly surrendered to Nigerian troops in separate incidents across Dikwa, Bama and Ngala local government areas.
On September 19, a woman identified as a family member of a terrorist surrendered alongside two children to troops of the 24 Task Force Brigade at a checkpoint along the Dikwa-Ajiri road.
Another woman and her child surrendered at the same checkpoint on September 21 after reportedly escaping from the Yaganari terrorist enclave.
Three more family members surrendered to troops of 151 Battalion at Bula Daloye in Bama on the same day.
On September 24, a suspected terrorist reportedly surrendered at the Dikwa-Ajiri checkpoint after escaping from a camp in Gargash.
Seven other family members subsequently surrendered to troops at the Arabic IDP Camp in Ngala.
Another woman and her son surrendered in Bama on September 25 after reportedly leaving a terrorist camp at Bula Daloye.
The Nigerian military has also recorded similar cases earlier in the year.
On July 25, an individual described by the military as a senior ISWAP finance operative surrendered to troops of the 3 Battalion under the 24 Task Force Brigade along the Ladari-Jegarawa-Tunokalia axis on the Gamboru-Wulgo Main Supply Route.
The military said the man had served as a chief finance operative at an ISWAP enclave in Jubillaram.
He surrendered alongside two male children and handed over an AK-47 rifle, four magazines, 101 rounds of ammunition, a motorcycle and ₦40,000.
The Army said approximately 46 terrorists and their family members had also surrendered around that period.
Days later, the wife and 11-year-old son of the same senior ISWAP finance operative also surrendered to troops.
According to the military, they surrendered through Kusuma Village on July 29 after the woman's husband instructed her to leave the enclave with their son following his own surrender.
They were screened and subjected to further profiling in accordance with established military procedures.
Another significant surrender was recorded in August when 24 relatives of ISWAP fighters surrendered to Nigerian Army troops in Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State.
According to an operational report, the group surrendered to troops of the 112 Task Force Battalion after fleeing the Gasuwa and Yaganari terrorist enclaves.
The military said the individuals left following clashes between rival factions within the terrorist organisation and were subsequently profiled and documented.
The latest case in Pulka follows that continuing pattern of family members leaving terrorist-controlled areas and presenting themselves to Nigerian troops.
However, the available information on the September 28 incident does not identify the ISWAP fighters to whom the six individuals are related.
It also does not state how long they had lived in Bulakambula, the circumstances under which they arrived there or precisely how they escaped.
What has been established in the reports is that the six family members left the Bulakambula enclave, reached Pulka and surrendered to troops of Operation HADIN KAI.
They were subsequently transferred to GISCOR for assistance and further processing.
The female minor rescued separately along the Gwoza-Limankara road was also reported to have escaped independently from the ISWAP enclave at Waa in the Mandara Mountains.
She was taken into care at the Gwoza IDP camp.
The surrender of the six family members and rescue of the minor add to the number of people leaving areas controlled by insurgents in Borno as Nigerian troops continue military operations across the North-East.
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