Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
Meanwhile, no fewer than 120 suspected Boko Haram members have surrendered to military troops on counter-insurgency operation, the military disclosed. Theatre Commander ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’, Maj. Gen Rogers Nicholas, said yesterday at a press conference that 100 Boko Haram fighters surrendered in two operations.
Nicholas said: “More than 100 Boko Haram fighters surrendered to our troops. A total of 70 of them are from Monguno axis while over 45 fighter also surrender to us in Bama axis.”
He said 17 other Boko Haram members who had surrendered were already at the Theatre Command Headquarters undergoing profiling and other security checks. He said many of the insurgents have been surrendering on their own volition anytime the military launched an offensive on Boko Haram’s camps. He declared that the Nigerian military would be ready to accept the leader of the violent group, Abubakar Shekau, if he surrenders. He urged others in the bush to come out and benefit from the government’s safe corridor platform for repentant terrorists.