By Our Correspondent
A major boost to ongoing counter-insurgency efforts in the Lake Chad Basin emerged at the weekend after a suspected Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, fighter laid down arms and surrendered to Nigerian Army troops deployed in Damasak, Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State.
Military authorities confirmed that the surrender occurred when the fighter walked into a forward operating base manned by troops and indicated his intention to abandon the insurgency. According to security sources, the development is being linked directly to the intensification of joint air and ground operations that have targeted terrorist enclaves across the fringes of Lake Chad in recent weeks.
During preliminary questioning, the suspect disclosed that he had received specialized combat training at a terrorist facility located within the Lake Chad region. He told interrogators that his instruction included operating gunboats for movement across the lake’s waterways and manning the Dushka, a 12.7mm heavy machine gun commonly mounted on technical vehicles by insurgent groups. The suspect alleged that the training camp was under the command of a senior ISWAP operative identified as Abu Ubeida.
The fighter said deteriorating conditions inside the camp forced his decision to flee. He cited a sustained campaign of Nigerian military airstrikes that, he claimed, had “decimated terrorist hideouts” and made survival within the group increasingly difficult. “The constant bombardment left us with nowhere to hide. Many of our colleagues were killed, food and movement became a problem, and commanders could no longer protect us,” the suspect was quoted as saying by military sources.
Following his surrender, troops provided the ex-fighter with immediate humanitarian assistance, including food and medical evaluation, in line with the Nigerian Army’s non-kinetic approach to managing repentant insurgents. He was subsequently taken into military custody where he is undergoing further investigation and detailed intelligence debriefing. Officials say information obtained from him is expected to aid ongoing operations aimed at dismantling remaining ISWAP logistics and training nodes around the Lake Chad axis.
A senior military source in Damasak described the surrender as “significant evidence that kinetic pressure is producing results.” The source noted that repeated air interdictions, coupled with aggressive ground patrols by troops of Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force, have degraded ISWAP’s freedom of movement and eroded morale among fighters.
“Each time a trained operative chooses to surrender, it weakens their structure and strengthens our intelligence picture. This particular individual had skills that are critical to ISWAP’s waterborne operations. His exit represents both an operational and psychological loss to the group,” the source added.
Damasak, a border town on the Niger Republic corridor, has remained a focal point in the fight against ISWAP due to its proximity to Lake Chad’s islands and creeks, which insurgents have historically used for cover and logistics. The Nigerian Army, working with regional partners, has in recent months increased surveillance and precision strikes in the area.
Security analysts say the incident may encourage more fighters to defect, especially as military pressure limits the group’s ability to resupply, train, and recruit. The Army has repeatedly urged remaining insurgents to take advantage of surrender channels, assuring that those who lay down arms will be processed in accordance with extant laws and humanitarian standards.
The suspect remains in custody as investigations continue.
