The Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad popularly known as Boko Haram has dispelled claims by the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital that 52 members of the insurgents were killed in an operation during a raid by the Joint Task Force in Jajeri area of Maiduguri, last Friday.
In a statement sent to newsmen via email and signed by Abu Zinnira suspected to be the spokesman of the radical group, the group debunked claims by the JTF saying “the truth of the matter is that we are the ones that triumphed during the encounter because we killed many soldiers and destroyed four armoured personnel carriers (APCs).
The JTF had on Saturday 9March claimed that 52 members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect were killed in a raid of Jajeri area of Maiduguri the state capital as 70 others were arrested during the raid which witnessed recovery of catche of arms and ammunition.
The JTF had also claimed that the 70 suspects arrested are being interrogated.
The statement further claimed that the JTF had only succeeded in killing innocent civilians during the raid and not members of the sect.
The group also debunk the claim in respect of the attack carried out by the sect on the army barracks in Monguno pointing out that the claim by security forces to have killed 20 members of the sect and destroyed four of its vehicles is far from the truth.
The statement confirmed that three of its members were killed during the attack but the sect succeeded in attacking and destroying their barracks including two APCs as they carted away arms and ammunitions during the attack.
The statement challenged Nigerians to go to Monguno and see things for themselves stressing that the attack in Monguno favoured the sect and not the security forces as earlier claimed.
The sect had earlier launched an attack on the military barracks in Monguno on Sunday the 3rd of March, 2013.