Nigerian Troops clear Boko Haram hideouts, rescue captives in Borno

Abuja, NAN: The Nigerian Army says its troops have cleared Boko Haram terrorists’ hideouts and rescued five captives, including an octogenarian, three women and a minor across Borno State in the past few days. 

The Nigerian Army Operations Media Coordinator, Col. Aminu Iliyasu, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

Iliyasu disclosed that troops of 121 Battalion deployed at Pulka in Gwoza Local Government Area, captured and destroyed the terrorists’ hideout at Zeledva Hills along Pulka – Bokko – Ngoshe Road on Wednesday.

The statement read: ”On 7 Jan for instance, troops of 121 Battalion, deployed at Pulka in Gwoza LGA of Borno State while on ‘Operation RUFE KOFA’, cleared and destroyed Boko Haram criminals’ hideouts at Zeledva Hills along Pulka – Bokko – Ngoshe Road in the same LGA.” 

He added that the combined troops of 192 Battalion deployed at Gwoza, Theatre Strike Force (TSF) and Cameroonian Defence Force in conjunction with Civilian Joint Task Force and Local Hunters ascended the Ungwan-Gara-Kwatara mountain enclave of the terrorists. 

According to him, on sighting the troops, the criminals fled the enclave in disarray, while the resilient troops went ahead to clear the hideout of any presence and activities of the insurgents. 

“In the process, the troops rescued 5 abandoned captives, including one septuagenarian, three women and one minor. “In a similar operation conducted by troops of 21 Special Armoured Brigade, deployed at Bama on Jan. 9, recovered a mutilated body parts of a neutralized B/Haram criminal from an earlier encounter and one AK 47 Rifle magazine.

 “On Jan. 8, troops of 112 Task Force Battalion deployed in Mafa Local Government Area, decimated some Boko Haram criminals and captured one AK 47 Rifle and a bandolier of 7.62mm NATO ammunition. “Other items recovered are four AK 47 magazines loaded with 120 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition while others were believed to have escaped with various degrees of gunshot wounds.

“In another daring encounter with some B/Haram criminals on Jan. 6, troops of 22 Brigade (Main) deployed in Dikwa area of the state rescued one Mr Ibrahim who was earlier abducted by the criminals,” he said. (NAN)