Troops kill Boko Haram leader, 18 members, rescue 67 hostages

• NAF carries out 55
successful missions
in 20 days
• Group relocates 189
families to Borno
IDPs camp

As the various military operations to eliminate remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in the Northeast heat up, troops of the Nigeria Army on one of such missions killed 19 insurgents including one of their chiefs, called the Ameer of Dalore. They also rescued 67 hostages.

This is coming on the heels of revelations that the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) has in the last 20 days carried out 55 successful missions to enhance Operation Lafiya Dole.

And in furtherance of its humanitarian intervention and support for families displaced by violence in Northern Nigeria, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has relocated 189 families from Government College, Maiduguri in Borno State to Bakasi camp in the metropolis.

This was disclosed yesterday by the IOM Regional Director for West and Central Africa (WCA), Mr. Richard Danziger, while addressing over 4, 500 relocated Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the Bakasi camp on Damboa road, Maiduguri. Each family was provided with a newly built shelter by IOM along with a non-food item (NFI) package.

A statement issued yesterday by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations (Ag. DAPR), Col. Sani Usman said: “Elements of 22 Brigade Garrison carried out clearing operation at Dalore camp on Sunday in which they killed 19 Boko Haram terrorists among whom was Ameer of Dalore. The troops also captured two AK-47 rifles, one small machine gun and one hand grenade and recovered four pickup vehicles.”

Usman said 67 people were rescued by the troops after the operation in Dalore during which the tyre of the troops’ Mines Resistant Anti-Personnel vehicle was damaged.

He said the rescued persons were being profiled before being moved into the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Dikwa.

Meanwhile, the Director, Public Relations and Information (DoPRI) of NAF Group, Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, has said the collective efforts of the military to bring the insurgency to an end, are yielding results “as the Alpha Jet aircraft successfully attacked suspected Boko Haram logistics base at Allagarno” after careful intelligence.

Famuyiwa said the initial surveillance was carried out using an unmanned aerial. He said: “The mission, which was carried out in support of surface forces in order to further degrade the fighting capacity of the remnants of the insurgents, was successful as can be seen in the video of the Battlefield Damage Assessment (BDA).

“The target was probably an ammunition depot, a fuel dump or a facility housing other combustible materials. This effort is likely to create certain logistics constraints for the terrorists along the Allagarno axis.

“This is a follow-up to other interdiction missions previously carried out in Sambisa Forest, Kumshe, Iza and other suspected terrorist hide-outs. So far, the NAF has carried out a total of 55 missions comprising 14 ISR, 30 interdiction/combat air support and 11 air logistics support missions in March 2016,” Famuyiwa said.

The voluntary relocation, according to Danziger, is part of a government-led drive to vacate schools where IDPs were initially
settled in order to be able to reopen them for classes next month.

Danziger also reassured the displaced persons of IOM’s commitment to providing shelter and NFIs to alleviate their plight.

His words: “Providing assistance to IDPs in the North-eastern part of Nigeria is imperative as a first step toward long-term stability in
Northern Nigeria and the entire Lake Chad sub-region.”

The Permanent Secretary in the Borno State Ministry of Education, Mr. Justus Tada Zare, who is also the secretary to the IDPs’ Relocation Committee said: “A lot of efforts are being made to improve the situation of the camp. Shelters are also being provided, drilling for water is completed, solar panels are installed and we are happy with IOM and other partners for assisting us in this relocation exercise.”