Nigerian troops operating under Operation Hadin Kai have killed a top Boko Haram commander and arrested a suspected drone and logistics supplier, security sources said on Thursday, February 19, 2026. The coordinated operations mark a significant blow to the insurgents’ command structure and supply chains in the nation’s northeast.
Troops, working alongside local vigilantes and hunters, ambushed insurgents along the Visik River line in Madagali Local Government Area at about 5:30 p.m., resulting in the death of a key Boko Haram figure identified as Abdullahi Mafa, described by sources as a “former hybrid commander” operating in the Madagali axis.
A subsequent raid at Madagali Motor Park around 6:30 p.m. led to the arrest of 64-year-old Dauda Usman Gubula, alleged to be a Boko Haram collaborator and supplier of aerial drones and other logistics equipment, security officials told reporters. Troops recovered two aerial drones and 20 solar power banks from the suspect, items believed to have been destined for militant use.
Both the commander’s neutralisation and the arrest of Gubula underscore continued military pressure on Boko Haram’s operational networks, as part of efforts to dismantle terrorist supply lines and degrade insurgent capabilities in the region. The suspect is currently in custody, where authorities said he would be “facing interrogation as investigators probe his role in aiding the insurgents.”