The Nigerian Army says it has recorded major successes against the Boko Haram Terrorists in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa states, as well as border areas.
Theatre Commander of the Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Lucky Irabor, made the revelation at a press briefing in Maiduguri on Wednesday.
Sambisa Forest
Some of the successes highlighted include mop up operations in the Sambisa forest, which according to the force, has enjoyed relative peace for a while now.
Recovered Uniforms
The Army also recovered uniforms used by key Boko Haram officers in production of some of the videos they send to the public.
Missing Soldiers
The troops recovered 15 bodies of missing soldiers during the operations.
“The bodies were recovered along Kamadugou River line area in Maiduguri,” the Army Chief said.
Also unfortunately, it was noted that two officers were killed in operations on Tuesday.
Furthermore, General Irabor presented other materials recovered from the terrorists such as notebooks, which according him were used to take notes on how to make bombs and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
963 Arrests
Giving a break down of the number of arrested terrorists, as well as those who surrendered, General Irabor explained that a total of 95 male and 384 female, had been arrested within the first week of January 2017.
He then went ahead to present “two criminals”.
“I call them criminals because we are still going through the process and until they become repentant, they remain criminals.”
According to him, “the first one is an Amir, who had been interfacing across the borders, (Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad), running different errands for the Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT).”
Meanwhile, the second criminal presented, was said to have been the one treating the terrorists whenever they had health issues.
The Army Boss, stated that “he runs something close to a medicine shop and he has also had some studies in Medical Technology, so he felt he is qualified as a medical doctor and he treats them”.
Navy Speaks On Success
The Navy had also played a significant role in the successes achieved. According to the force, they were embattled majorly in the Lake Chad region, with a base from the fish Dam in Baga.
In enhancing clearance operations, about 150 personnel were selected and trained.
Airforce
The Airforce equally stated that they uncovered ambush and attempted attacks by the terrorists as well as swift response to emergencies.
While enforcing existing strategy, the Army says a major focus for now would be stabilizing operation activities which would involve construction of bridges, wards and other facilities that would return normalcy to affected areas.