Military rescues 3,475 civilians, arrests 34 terrorists

Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole have rescued 3,475 civilians and arrested 34 Boko Haram terrorists in Borno and Yobe states.

The Theatre Commander of the troops, Maj-Gen Rogers Nicholas, disclosed this in Maiduguri.

Briefing journalists at the Theatre’s Command Centre, he said the operations were carried out in coordinated military attacks.

The commander said the attacks were launched during the military’s Deep Punch II counter-insurgency operations in the northeast.

He disclosed that over 700 captives were rescued in six-weeks in the Lake Chad region of Borno State.

Nicholas added that some of the civilians were rescued in the Sambisa fores before Camp Zairo, the spiritual stronghold of the Boko Haram, was captured.

According to him, 250 insurgents surrendered to the military in Diffa in Niger Republic, Mora in Cameroon, Maiduguri, Damboa and Monguno.

He added that the troops also destroyed 32 Hilux and pickup vehicles, 49 gun trucks, 14 VB-IEDs and recovered 15 AK-47 rifles from the 186 terrorists who were killed.

On Abubakar Shekau’s disguise to flee, he said: “Wherever Shekau is, we are going to get him, as 169 terrorists had been captured within six weeks.”

He urged the public to continue to support the troops, so that the insurgents could come out and surrender to the military.

“The media has a role to play on the implementation of safe corridors for these insurgents,” he said.