…Boko Haram, ISWAP Allegedly Used Satellite Internet To Coordinate Attacks In North-East
…Army Says Insurgents Rely On Satellite Internet For Coordination
Daud Olatunji with Agency Report
Nigerian troops operating in the North-East have intercepted more than 400 Starlink satellite internet devices allegedly being used by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters to coordinate attacks and sustain their operations across the region.
The interception was carried out by troops of Sector 2, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), during intensified intelligence-driven offensives targeting terrorist logistics and communication networks in Borno and adjoining theatres of operation.
The Sector Commander, Brigadier General Beyidi Martins, disclosed this on Tuesday in Damaturu while briefing defence correspondents on ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the North-East.
Martins said the recovered devices were seized in coordinated operations conducted around the Sambisa Forest, the Timbuktu Triangle, and other known terrorist enclaves, where insurgents have continued to mount resistance despite sustained military pressure.
According to him, the seizures form part of a broader strategy aimed at dismantling the logistics backbone and communication systems sustaining terrorist activities in the theatre.
“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,” he said.
The commander explained that insurgents had increasingly relied on sophisticated communication tools, including satellite-based internet systems, to evade conventional tracking methods and coordinate attacks on communities and security formations.
He added that troops had intensified surveillance on supply routes and collaborators allegedly aiding the movement of communication gadgets, fuel, food items, drugs, and other materials into remote hideouts.
Martins further revealed that hundreds of suspected logistics suppliers and couriers had been arrested in recent months as part of sustained operations targeting insurgent support networks.
“It will interest you to know that arrests are made on a daily basis. So far, we have disrupted over 400 logistics-related cases and networks supporting terrorist operations,” he said.
He noted that intelligence operations had exposed extensive collaboration between insurgents and elements within civilian supply chains, including transporters and traders, some of whom act voluntarily while others operate under coercion.
“There is a high level of collusion between some members of the civil populace and the terrorists. Some do it willingly, while others are forced through threats and intimidation,” Martins added.
The commander said troops had also intercepted consignments of petroleum products, drugs, medical supplies, food items, and spare parts suspected to be destined for terrorist camps.
He disclosed that many of the intercepted supplies were traced to major transit corridors linking Kano, Nguru, and other routes feeding into the Sambisa Forest and Timbuktu Triangle axis.
Martins also raised concern over the exploitation of livestock markets by insurgents, noting that rustled animals were often sold to raise funds for terrorist operations.
He said security agencies, in collaboration with local authorities and market stakeholders, had introduced verification mechanisms to ensure proper identification of livestock before sales are concluded.
