Nigerian Army Uncovers Massive Fuel Supply Chain to Boko Haram in Borno State

 

In a significant breakthrough in the ongoing fight against terrorism in the North-East, gallant troops of Operation Hadin Kai have dismantled a large-scale fuel smuggling operation in Maiduguri, Borno State, allegedly set up to supply Boko Haram insurgents operating around the Gwoza axis and parts of neighboring Cameroon.

According to military intelligence and on-ground reports, the soldiers stormed two fuel stations—Hadiza and Sadiq Filling Stations—where they caught the operators red-handed, filling up to 500 jerrycans with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol. This blatant act was described by military authorities as a “deliberate and treacherous attempt to empower the enemies of Nigeria.”

Security analyst Zagazola Makama, who has been closely monitoring the developments, reported that intelligence operatives had been tracking the movements and activities of several black-market fuel traders over time. These individuals, considered unpatriotic and complicit in aiding terrorism, were known to use modified fuel tanks in vehicles—especially Volkswagen Gulf cars—to covertly transport large volumes of fuel to undisclosed locations.

Once out of the city, the fuel would typically be offloaded into jerrycans and then smuggled into remote, terrorist-dominated areas. On this occasion, however, the perpetrators' plan failed spectacularly.

Acting on credible intelligence, the troops conducted a swift and coordinated raid, disrupting the operation mid-action and apprehending several suspects on the spot.

During a preliminary interrogation, the suspects reportedly confessed without remorse, admitting that they were transporting the fuel toward Pulka and the Cameroon axis, territories known to be under the influence of Ali Ngulde's faction of Boko Haram.

“They, however, claimed ignorance about the identities of the recipients, revealing that individuals from ‘various destinations’ collect the products,” a source familiar with the interrogation process stated.

This recent bust not only underlines the complex logistics network that sustains terrorist operations in the region, but also showcases the increasing collaboration between criminal elements and insurgents who rely on smuggled fuel to power their vehicles, generators, and explosive devices.

The Nigerian Army has vowed to intensify intelligence-driven operations to dismantle these illicit supply chains and to bring all collaborators to justice.