The Nigerian Army said on Sunday that it had commenced large scale operations to smoke out Boko Haram terrorists from their Sambisa forest hideout in Borno State.
Major-General Lucky Irabor, the Theater Commander Operation Lafiya Dole said this while briefing newsmen in Maiduguri.
“I want to inform you that troops of the Operation Lafiya Dole are conducting operations in the heart of Sambisa as we speak.
“The troops are deep into the forest to smoke out Boko Haram terrorists,” Irabor said.
He said that the troops were led by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 division of the Nigerian Army Maiduguri, Brigadier-General Victor Ezugwu.
“In fact, the GOC 7 division is leading the operations,” Irabor said declining to give further details.
He said that the troops had also recorded tremendous successes against the terrorists in the last couple of days.
“Following a tip-off, troops intercepted four female suicide bombers approaching from Sambisa in the general area of Jimini-Bolari village. Two unexploded Improvised Explosive Devices on the suicide bombers were safely detonated by our own team.
“Also, a suspected terrorists training camp at Mudallah llage in Dikwa Local Government Area was raided by troops on April 16.
“Consequently, troops made contact and killed a suspected terrorists leader and six others while capturing five of them, during the raid, five vehicles and several terrorists flags were destroyed.”
Irabor said that the troops also rescued over 1,000 civilians held captive by the terrorists.
He said on April 3, troops also launched a fighting patrol to Boboshe, Garna, Kyare, Ginba and Ajiri villages where they recovered eight industrial gas cylinders and five regular gas cylinders, being used in bomb making, at a primary school.
He said during the operation three terrorists were captured while four motor cycles, three bicycles, a solar panel and two containers of liquid herbicides were destroyed.
In another operation on April 28 troops in the general area of Bogoro, Duguno 1, 2 and 3 encountered and cleared some terrorists elements around Mmbaraka.
“The troops proceeded to Jadda village where they engaged and killed four terrorists. The patrol team also discovered a big pit where the terrorists used for dumping their victims to die and rot.
“The patrol team later freed some hostages and recovered an AK-47 rifle, 30 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 12 rounds of 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition, 14 Dane guns, a motorcycle, two solar panels, 120 liters of diesel, some packets of panadol and a food storage facility.
“During the operation, one of the troops suffered gunshot wound and was evacuated for medical treatment. I am glad to state that he is in stable condition and responding to treatment,” Irabor said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army said it burst and cleared a Boko Haram major bomb making factory in Ngala town of northern Borno.
This is contained in a statement on Sunday by Army spokesman, Col. Sani Usman.
He said troops of the 3 Battalion, 22 Brigade of ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’, cleared the factory on Friday during a clearance patrol of the area.
Usman said the insurgents had used explosives made from the secret device making factory to attack innocent citizens and even military units around the area.
“Troops of 3 Battalion, 22 Brigade, have again succeeded in bursting a secret Boko Haram terrorists’ Improvised Explosive making Device factory in Ngala town, northern Borno.
“It will be recalled that despite their defeat, the terrorists continued to attack innocent citizens, military and soft targets through vehicular and human borne Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
“Despite ongoing clearance of the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists, they persistently hid the IED manufacturing factories location,” the statement read in part.
Usman said the successful clearance of the factory was partly based on credible and timely information volunteered by the public on the activities of the insurgents.
He added that some insurgents were killed during the raid while several items including 20 gas cylinders of various sizes prepared and ready for explosive insertion were recovered.
He listed other items recovered from the factory to include primers, gun powder, electric wires and tape recorders.
The Army in another statement said troops of 3 Battalion and 22 Brigade on Sunday foiled a planned attack on Wunbi in Kala Balge Local Government Area of Borno.
Usman said troops carried out a pre-emptive attack on the insurgents’ hideout to foil the planned attack.
He said nine suspected insurgents were killed in the gunfire that followed the pre-emptive attack at Tatakura village, 20 km South West of Wumbi.
Usman said troops captured three AK-47 rifles, one Fabrique Nationale rifle, one General Purpose Machine Gun, a 60 mm Mortar Tube, G3-Machine Gun seven Fabrique Nationale Magazines and one Rocket Propelled Grenade 7 (RPG 7) Tube.
He listed other items recovered to include 108 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, one Energa grenade, an RPG 7 Bomb as well as three 60 mm mortar bombs and two motorcycles.
Troops have recently cleared a number of the insurgents’ hideouts in the North East and have rescued many hostages.
