By Our Defence Correspondent
Maiduguri
The global spotlight swung sharply onto Nigeria’s counter-terror war on Tuesday as a high-powered media delegation from the United Kingdom’s Channel 4 News stormed the Headquarters of Operation HADIN KAI in Maiduguri, declaring its mission to tell the world a different story one of battlefield gains, reclaimed communities and a military pushing to finish the fight.
Led by Senior Producer and Team Leader, Mr. Freddie Gower, the London-based crew arrived at the Theatre Command of the Joint Task Force (North East), stepping directly into the nerve centre of Nigeria’s long-running war against insurgency.
Their objective was clear: to see for themselves what military authorities describe as “significant operational successes” and to present those realities to an international audience often fed on grim images of terror from the region.
“We Want the World to See”
Addressing senior officers after detailed operational briefings, Mr. Gower said Channel 4 known globally for its coverage of conflict, terrorism and asymmetric warfare was in Nigeria to gather first-hand accounts of progress made by the Armed Forces.
“We want to present to the international community the significant successes recorded in the fight against terrorism,” he said, noting that direct engagement with commanders and affected communities would ensure balanced and factual reporting.
He described the interaction with military authorities as “insightful and rewarding,” adding that the comprehensive briefings offered clarity on both the gains and the lingering challenges in the theatre.
For a region long defined by bomb blasts, abductions and displacement, the visit signalled growing international curiosity about whether the tide has truly turned.
Receiving the delegation, the Theatre Commander, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, reaffirmed Operation HADIN KAI’s central mandate restoring normalcy across the North East and creating conditions for socio-economic life to flourish once again.
He declared that the Command remains relentless in sustaining and intensifying stabilisation operations, insisting that terrorist enclaves have been “significantly degraded” through coordinated air and ground offensives.
“The security situation has been largely contained,” he told the delegation, pointing to expanded farm patrols, reopened access routes and strengthened protection for humanitarian agencies as evidence of improved stability.
According to him, thousands of internally displaced persons have returned to their ancestral homes under the protection umbrella of the military a development he described as one of the most powerful indicators of progress.
In a notable shift from purely combat narratives, Major General Abubakar highlighted what he termed robust “non-kinetic operations” community engagement, civil-military cooperation, and support for humanitarian efforts.
He revealed that troops are actively securing medical outreaches, nutrition programmes, vaccination campaigns and immunisation drives conducted by aid agencies across vulnerable communities.
Food security, once crippled by insurgent threats, is gradually improving through escorted farm activities, he added.
The Commander also acknowledged the role of international partnerships, particularly collaboration with the British Military Advisory and Training Team, in sharpening operational effectiveness.
International Interest Deepens
For Operation HADIN KAI, the visit represents more than a media engagement it is a symbolic endorsement of transparency in a war often fought away from foreign lenses.
The delegation was taken through detailed operational briefings before signing the visitors’ register, exchanging souvenirs and posing for a group photograph a ceremonial close to what military officials described as a “strategic communication milestone.”
As Channel 4 prepares to beam its findings across global screens, the narrative battle becomes as crucial as the battlefield one.
For Nigeria’s troops in the North East, the message is unmistakable: the world is watching and this time, they want it to see the gains.
