Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters Rules Out Ceasefire With Boko Haram and ISWAP
Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters on 5 November 2026 denied reports of a secret ceasefire with Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) or other armed groups, and said military operations against insurgents and kidnappers will continue. The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, made the statement at a joint security briefing in Abuja. Reuters independently reported the same denial the same day.
What DHQ said
Uba rejected the ceasefire claim outright: “On the issue of whether there is a ceasefire with Boko Haram, I want to make it clear that there is nothing like a ceasefire.” He added that the number of fighters killed, suspects arrested and hostages rescued showed troops were “not relenting” and would “continue to sustain pressure on these criminal elements.”
He stressed that operations are not limited to Boko Haram and ISWAP: “They also target kidnappers and other criminal elements who take up arms against innocent citizens.” Anyone involved in such crimes, he said, would either be “eliminated through lawful military operations or brought to justice.”
On reports that some fighters are shifting into areas where they were previously less active, Uba cast the movement as a sign of pressure on old bases rather than a collapse of the campaign, and said the Armed Forces were mapping possible relocation sites so new footholds could not form.
Why the denial matters
The statement responds to reporting — notably by The New Humanitarian, later carried by Nigerian outlets — that the federal government had struck a quiet truce with the Boko Haram faction led by Bakura Doro since about June 2026, supposedly helping keep parts of the north-east relatively calm for roughly three months and linked to efforts to free civilians abducted from Ngoshe in Gwoza, Borno. That reporting cited people with contacts among senior Boko Haram members. HumAngle separately quoted a Boko Haram judge denying a formal truce and suggesting any local deal may have lacked group leadership approval.
DHQ’s line is categorical: no ceasefire with Boko Haram, ISWAP or any terrorist group. A military denial does not by itself prove or disprove informal contacts elsewhere in government; it does establish the Armed Forces’ public position that kinetic operations continue. Readers should treat the earlier ceasefire report and the DHQ denial as competing claims, with only the latter coming from a named official on the record.
Figures DHQ released for September–October
At the same briefing Uba gave a three-month operations snapshot that he used as evidence of sustained pressure. According to Punch, Vanguard and other outlets quoting him, troops ran 588 distinct security operations in September and October and reported:
- 435 terrorists and bandits “neutralised”, including commanders named as Ali Mandara, Abba Gajiri, Habu Ikkima, Nakif Yana Faruk, Commander Gogore and Abdussamad Ohida;
- 809 suspects arrested;
- 198 insurgents who surrendered voluntarily;
- 717 kidnapped victims and captives rescued (including 20 prospective NYSC members in Owerri, Imo State, and 11 people in Danko-Wasagu, Kebbi State);
- 5,666 arms, ammunition, explosives and IEDs recovered, plus logistical kit.
He also cited tactical breakthroughs around Buniyadi, Baga, Kukawa, Bittai and the Owo forest. Those numbers are the military’s own tally; independent verification of individual kills and surrenders is rarely available in real time in the Lake Chad theatre. Defence Mena has separately covered recent Kukawa/ISWAP fighting, including the army’s claim that it killed Shura Council member Abu Hajara — see that report.
Wider posture
Reuters added that Uba said Nigeria is talking to neighbouring Sahel states that left ECOWAS about security and diplomatic cooperation — a reminder that Abuja’s counter-insurgency file now sits beside a shifting West African alliance map. Order-of-battle adjustments, including new formations and battalions, were presented as gap-filling rather than a ceasefire dividend.
Bottom line for now: Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters publicly rules out a ceasefire with Boko Haram and ISWAP and frames recent body counts and rescues as proof that operations continue. The earlier secret-truce reporting remains unconfirmed by named Nigerian officials.
Sources
- Punch, “No ceasefire with Boko Haram, others — DHQ”, 5 November 2026
- Reuters, “Nigeria rules out ceasefire with Islamists…”, 5 November 2026
- Premium Times, 5 November 2026
- Vanguard, 5 November 2026 (operations figures)
- Defence Mena: Kukawa / Abu Hajara ISWAP claim
