Army rescues kidnapped travelers in Borno

Nigerian Army on Friday said it has rescued 21 travellers kidnapped on Wednesday by Boko Haram.

Four suspected insurgents were killed in the process, the army said.

The insurgents on Tuesday ambushed a passenger bus along Gwoza-Pulka road, Warabe and abducted travellers.

The attack was believed to have been carried out by fighters from the Boko Haram faction led by Abubakar Shekau, which is based in and around the Sambisa Forest enclave near Gwoza.

In August 2014, the jihadists proclaimed Gwoza as the headquarters of its self-styled caliphate.

The convoy was heading from the town to the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, at the time. A military source in the city confirmed the incident.

The abduction came days after the Nigerian military announced that the terrorist group had been seriously degraded.

Director of Army Public Relations, Texas Chukwu, in a statement, said the rescue operation of the hostages was carried out on Thursday when the military raided hideout of the sect members.

Chukwu said the rescued persons included six women, 11 children, four men who are currently being attended to at the military hospital.

“Troops of 192 Battalion of 26 Task Force Brigade of Operation Lafiya Dole alongside Civilian Joint Task Force neutralised 14 Boko Haram terrorists in a village suspected to harbour terrorists that ambushed a civilian vehicle in Pulka on Wednesday, September 5, 2018,” Chukuwu said.

“The troops attained the feat on Thursday 6th September 2018 during an early hours clearance operation to Amdaga Madachi village in Gwoza Local Government Area in Borno State suspected to harbour the terrorists.”