Troops rescue 37 suspected wives, children of B’ Haram terrorists
• Neutralise four suicide bombers in three days
TROOPS of Operation Lafiya Dole in the Northeast have intercepted and rescued 37 women and children in Damboa local council of Borno State.
The rescued hostages, according to military authorities in Maiduguri, are suspected to be wives and children of fleeing Boko Haram insurgents from Sambisa forest.
The Nigerian Army Spokesman, Brig-gen. Sani Usman, in a statement yesterday in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital said, “Thirty of the escapees were intercepted on Tuesday in Gujba local council. They comprised of eight women and 22 children. “On preliminary interrogation, the suspects claimed to have escaped from Boko Haram terrorists’ custody at Kafa and Abagajiri vil- lages in Damboa local council of Borno State.” Usman said that the other seven persons that included women and children were intercepted on Tuesday at Kamuya village in Yobe State. “They claimed that they escaped from Boko Haram terrorists’ hideout at Goropcha village.” He said they are currently being screened and profiled by the military. Also, Troops of 251 Battalion, 7 Division of the Nigerian Army on Operation Lafiya Dole said it has killed one suicide bomber at Dala village, Borno State. The Army said the incident occurred at about 10:00pm on Tuesday after troops intercepted the suicide bomber who attempted to cross through their forward defence. Usman, on Wednesday in Abuja, said the suicide bomber was neutralized after failing to heed to warning to keep him in checks. He added that two female suicide bombers were also intercepted and neutralized at Mammanti as they tried to infiltrate and attack the village through troops’ parapet. “Similarly, the troops of 251 Battalion also intercepted another female Boko Haram terrorist suicide bomber on Monday, July 17, 2017 at about 1:49 am between Cimari and No Man’s Land. “These great efforts of the troops helped to save valuable lives and property,” he said.
The army spokesman appealed to the public to volunteer information to the military and other security agencies to pre-empt suicide bombings and other atrocities by remnants of Boko Haram terrorists.
Meanwhile, a renowned musician, Innocent Idibia, known as 2Face; has said that the Boko Haram insurgency is “political and not religious” as insinuated in some quarters.
Idibia made the declaration yesterday in Maiduguri, when he paid a three-day solidarity visit to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) at Banki resettlement camp.
He said the eight-year Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State, is clearly associated with “politics, as against religion or ethnicity.”
His words: “The Federal and State Governments and politicians must step up policy implementations doing the needful to reduce abject poverty and unemployment among the people, particularly youths.’’