The Nigerian military attacked identified territories of Boko Haram and Islamic State West African Province (Iswap) militias, killing 133 in a proactive operation meant to weaken the extremists and prevent them from disrupting the just concluded elections.
The troops also recovered heavy ammunition including AK-47 rifles and Nato Dane guns, attack trucks, motorcycles, desert camouflage and medical supplies from enclaves of the terrorists who have been troubling the northern Nigeria region since 2009.
The ongoing operation was carried out to enable Nigeria conduct peaceful presidential and national assembly elections held on February 25, 2023.
Director of Nigerian Army Public Relations Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu on Thursday said in Abuja that apart from the Northeast Nigeria operation, troops also curtailed the bandits in north central and north west as well as crippling violent secessionist activities in the south east.
Significant results
“In the past two weeks, both kinetic and non-kinetic operations were conducted in the various theatres of operations, with significant results recorded,” Nwachukwu said.
The troops of the joint task force, Operation Hadin Kai in the northeast Nigeria, conducted various attacks in Gwoza, Bama, Gubio, Biu, Dikwa, Monguno and Konduga local government areas (LGA) of Northeast Borno State.
He said the troops also attacked insurgents’ turfs in Mubi LGA of Adamawa State and villages within Gwoza, Jere and Bama LGAs of Borno State.
As the operation lasted, about 252 Boko Haram and Iswap extremists together with family members surrendered to the government troops at different locations.
Terrorists questioned
All recovered items, rescued civilians and apprehended suspects were handed over to appropriate Nigerian authorities for further action while surrendering terrorists and their families were questioned.
The Nigerian military reported that the insurgents had been decimated and a clearance operation was now ongoing to suppress any further terrorist activities in the region.
Many of the terrorists, together with their families, have been displaced from their fortress in Sambisa Forest, which had been inaccessible by troops. The insurgents have fled and taken refuge in the border towns in Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
More than 65,000 people have died in northeast Nigeria since 2009 when the extremists struck and over 2.1 million others who were displaced, are currently being resettled in their communities.
Life is gradually returning to the Lake Chad region with residents returning to their farms.
