Terrorist Confesses To Attack That Killed Brigadier General Braimoh In Borno “After We Did The Attack We Went To Jilli, I Was Given N850K To Buy Food & Got Caught”

A terrorist suspect identified as Tijjani, arrested by troops of Operation Hadin Kai, has confessed that he participated in the attack that killed Brigadier General Oseni Braimoh and three other soldiers at a military base in Benisheikh, Borno State, according to a report by The Cable published on Monday, April 13, 2026.

Tijjani’s confession provides critical details about the attack, including the origin of the assailants, the location they retreated to after the operation, and the logistics network that supported the militants before and after the raid.

The arrest and confession represent a rare instance where a participant in a high-profile attack on Nigerian forces has been captured alive and provided actionable intelligence that could lead to further operations against the terrorist cell responsible.

According to Tijjani’s statement, he and other terrorists set out from Jilli village before carrying out the attack on the military base in Benisheikh and returned to the same village afterward.

The confession places Jilli village at the centre of the operation and identifies it as a base or safe haven where the attackers gathered before the assault and regrouped after completing it. The fact that the terrorists were able to operate from a specific village, launch an attack that killed a brigadier general, and return without being intercepted suggests either that the village is located in an area where military presence is limited or that the insurgents have the support or acquiescence of the local population, whether through coercion, ideology, or a combination of both.

Tijjani stated that he was later sent out from Jilli with eight hundred and fifty thousand naira to buy food from Ngamdu village, a mission that places him in a logistics role within the terrorist cell rather than a purely combat role. The amount of money he was carrying, eight hundred and fifty thousand naira, is substantial and indicates that the group has access to funding that allows it to purchase supplies in significant quantities.

The fact that Tijjani was arrested while on this logistics mission rather than during or immediately after the attack itself suggests that Nigerian forces may have been monitoring movement between Jilli and Ngamdu or that Tijjani was caught at a checkpoint or during a patrol operation.

“Before the attack, we came from Jilli and returned there after the attack. I was sent from Jilli yesterday with N850,000 to collect some logistics from Ngamdu, but I was arrested by troops,” Tijjani said, according to the report.

Tijjani also stated that he does not know what happened to his fellow terrorists in Jilli village after he left on the logistics mission, a claim that could be true or could be an attempt to avoid providing information that might lead to the arrest of other members of the cell.

The Nigerian military now has a confirmed location, Jilli village, and a timeline for when the attackers were there, information that should allow for targeted operations to apprehend or eliminate the remaining members of the group.

The confession is significant because it provides a direct link between a specific attack, a specific location, and a specific terrorist cell. In counterinsurgency operations, that level of specificity is rare and valuable. Most attacks occur, the perpetrators disappear, and the locations they operate from remain unknown or are only guessed at. Tijjani’s arrest and confession give the military a actionable lead that, if followed up quickly and effectively, could result in the dismantling of the cell that killed General Braimoh and the other soldiers.

The question now is what the military will do with the information. Jilli village should be a priority target for immediate operations designed to capture or kill the remaining terrorists, recover any weapons or materials they possess, and disrupt the logistics networks that allow them to operate.

If the military delays or if the information leaks before operations can be conducted, the terrorists will have time to relocate, disperse, or prepare defenses that will make any subsequent operation more difficult and costly….See More