Military kills five Boko Haram terrorists, rescues 248 hostages

Troops of 25, 81 and 251 Brigades and Battalions of the Nigerian Army, have reported the killing of five Boko Haram terrorists and arrested one spy.

The troops also rescued 248 hostages in military clearance operations in Bitta-Damboa axis of Sambisa forest.

The Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, disclosed this yesterday, in a statement in Maiduguri.

During the two-day clearance and rescue operations, troops of 7 Division Garrison also cleared 15 villages of remnants of the terrorists in Jere and Konduga council areas of Borno State.

He said a total of 248 people, were also rescued in various rescue and clearance operations along Gwoza hills and 15 other villages, and located on the fringes of Sambisa forest.

The statement reads in part: “The troops also received 79 persons who claimed to have been kept captives by Boko Haram terrorists at Ngwalimiri village, but escaped from their locations.”

He said they comprised of 12 men, 24 women, 31 children and 12 infants’ adding ‘all of them are undergoing preliminary investigations and screening to determine their status before onward movement to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp for rehabilitation.”

Usman in the statement, also said troops of 28 Task Force Brigade cleared Bulajani, Mulgwo and Muotu villages of the remnants of Boko Haram elements.

“During the encounter at Moutu, specifically, a soldier sustained an injury on the forehead, while a few others escaped with gunshot wounds,’ adding the ‘troops recovered three locally made guns.”