Maiduguri, NIGERIA – The Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI has described its Saturday mission at Jilli, Gubio Local Government Area, as a successful precision strike against an Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) logistics enclave, directly contradicting reports of a mistaken attack on a civilian market.
Okay News reports that in a statement released on Sunday, April 12, 2026, the military maintained that the operation was the result of intense Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) following recent deadly attacks on troops. The military cited an IED attack in January that killed eight soldiers and the recent April 9 coordinated strikes in Benisheik as the catalysts for intensifying surveillance on the Bindul–Jilli axis.
According to the military’s account, aerial platforms tracked a contingent of motorcycles and vehicles converging on the location. These movements were reportedly corroborated by human intelligence as belonging to terrorists and their logistics handlers. The Air Component asserted that a “rigorous and professional targeting process” was followed to validate the target before the strikes were executed. The military reported the destruction of technicals and the neutralization of “scores of terrorists” who were allegedly preparing for fresh attacks on troop locations.
In further support of their position, the military announced the arrest of a suspected terrorist courier named “Turja Bulu” on April 12 in Ngamdu Town. The suspect reportedly confessed to participating in the Benisheik attack and claimed to have been dispatched from the Jilli location to provide food for insurgent groups in the Magumeri-Gubio area.
Despite these claims of a successful surgical operation, local reports continue to indicate that the strike hit a busy weekly market, resulting in at least 56 civilian fatalities. The stark difference between the military’s “logistics hub” narrative and the “civilian market” reports from local officials and eyewitnesses has created a tense atmosphere as the nation awaits further independent verification of the casualties.
