Troops of Nigeria’s Joint Task Force North-East, operating under Operation HADIN KAI, have intercepted more than 400 Starlink communication devices allegedly being used by Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters across the North-East region.
The Commander of Sector 2, Brigadier General Beyidi Martins, disclosed this during a media briefing on ongoing military offensives targeting terrorist logistics and communication networks in Borno State and surrounding areas.
According to Martins, the devices – linked to Starlink, the satellite internet platform operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX – were recovered during coordinated intelligence-led operations in Sambisa Forest, the Timbuktu Triangle and other insurgent hideouts.
Military authorities said the seizure forms part of a broader strategy aimed at cutting off supply chains sustaining terrorist activities in the region. Martins explained that insurgents increasingly depend on modern communication systems, civilian collaborators and smuggling networks to move fuel, drugs, food supplies, spare parts and communication equipment into remote camps.
“The lifeblood of terrorist activities is logistics resupply, and we are deliberately denying them freedom to move supplies, communication equipment, fuel and other operational items across the theatre,” the commander stated.
The military also revealed that troops had infiltrated transport and supply syndicates allegedly supporting insurgent operations. Hundreds of suspected logistics suppliers, couriers and collaborators have reportedly been arrested in recent months.
Security officials disclosed that major supply routes stretching from Kano through Nguru into Sambisa Forest and the Timbuktu Triangle remain under surveillance, with troops intercepting consignments of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), medical supplies, food items and motorcycle spare parts suspected to be destined for terrorist camps.
The development comes amid growing concerns over the increasing technological sophistication of insurgent groups operating in the North-East. Recent military operations have uncovered drone suppliers, hidden fuel dumps and underground logistics facilities allegedly used by Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters.
Military intelligence sources also disclosed that insurgents have been exploiting local livestock markets to generate funds by selling rustled animals. In response, security agencies and market authorities have introduced livestock verification measures to track ownership and disrupt terrorist financing channels.
Martins said the sustained “strangulation operations” by troops have weakened terrorist logistics networks, restricted insurgents’ movement and contributed to the surrender of several fighters and their family members in recent months.
He reaffirmed the commitment of Nigerian troops to intensify offensives, dismantle communication infrastructure used by terrorists and block all supply routes sustaining insurgent activities in the North-East.
