On 3 November 2026 the Nigerian Navy announced that 34 Boko Haram fighters were killed in two separate military operations in Borno State, conducted in cooperation with the army around Lake Chad as part of the Operation HADIN KAI campaign. Navy officials said the actions disrupted insurgent activity and weakened their operational capacity in the region.
First Operation from the Naval Base
The initial operation began from the Nigerian Navy’s base on Lake Chad. Armed forces launched an attack on a small group of insurgents, and the navy’s media officer, Captain Abiudon Foloronscho, reported that early estimates indicated eight fighters were killed. Subsequent assessment of the battlefield raised the death toll to 28. The operation was said to have been coordinated with ground army units for rapid deployment and fire support.
"إن العمليتين أسفرتا عن تعطيل أنشطة المسلحين وإضعاف قدراتهم العملياتية في المنطقة."
In a statement translated by the Saudi Press Agency, Captain Foloronscho said the operation had “disrupted insurgent activities and weakened their operational capacity in the area.”
Second Joint Operation in Dompa
A second operation was carried out with the participation of the army’s 403rd Marine Brigade. The joint force targeted a Boko Haram compound in the Dompa region of Borno State. Intelligence and surveillance gathered in advance allowed the Navy and army units to pinpoint the location of the hideout and launch a precise strike. Initial casualty counts reported six fighters killed and a number of others wounded, though further verification was pending.
The combined result of the two operations was a reported total of 34 killed insurgents. Sources from the Nigerian Navy and the army said the attacks were part of the broader Hadinnai campaign aimed at eradicating the group’s presence near the Lake Chad corridor.
While the army’s role was emphasized in multiple statements, the Navy’s command stance highlighted the coordination between maritime and land forces. The operations were described as preventive and aimed at clearing the border area of insurgent influence, with the army commander noting increased security for local communities.
The announcement comes amid a series of intensified offensive operations in Borno and neighboring states, with the Nigerian military maintaining that sustained pressure will eventually neutralise the remaining Boko Haram elements. The campaigns are part of a broader effort to secure the Lake Chad region and restore stability after repeated attacks in the past decade.
