Nigerian Army troops have killed a notorious terror kingpin, Amir Abu Fatima, in a major operation around the Lake Chad region in northern Borno State.
Abu Fatima, a top commander who had a ₦100 million bounty on his head, was the prime target of the carefully planned raid.
The mission was carried out in the early hours of Friday, May 30, by Special Forces of the 19 Brigade under Sector 3, Operation Hadin Kai.
According to security analyst Zagazola Makama, who shared the news via a post on X, intelligence sources confirmed that the operation focused on the Kukawa axis of the Lake Chad area, a known hideout for high-profile insurgents.
Military sources described it as a “terrorist leader decapitation operation” designed to eliminate Abu Fatima specifically. The Special Forces reportedly stormed the enclave and engaged in a fierce gunfight with the militants.
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During the battle, Abu Fatima was shot and captured alive but died shortly after from excessive bleeding.
His second-in-command, along with several bomb-makers and other fighters, were also killed during the firefight.
Troops recovered several AK-47 rifles, loaded magazines, improvised explosive device (IED) components, and other military-grade weapons from the site.
Abu Fatima had long been on the security agencies’ most-wanted list due to his involvement in numerous deadly attacks across the Lake Chad basin.
His death is being hailed by security operatives as both a tactical success and a significant psychological blow to terrorist groups operating in the region.