The Defence Headquarters, Abuja, yesterday, said 13,243 terrorists and their families have, so far, surrendered to troops in the North East.
Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, made the disclosure while giving an update on military operations across the country, yesterday, in Abuja.
Onyeuko said the surrendered terrorists comprise 3,243 males, 3,868 females and 6,234 children.
He said the troops of Operation Hadin Kai had sustained aggressive posture with vigour in the North East, which had yielded significant results in the last two weeks.
He said the series of land and air operations conducted in different locations across the North East theatre had reduced the operational capabilities of the insurgents with several of them being neutralised.
Onyeuko said several others were arrested alongside their informants and logistics suppliers, while more terrorists had continued to lay down their arms and surrender to the troops with their families.
He further stated that the air component of Operation Hadin Kai carried out air interdiction missions to foil Boko Haram terrorists/ISWAP criminal elements’ attack on ground troops’ location at Aulari village in the Bama area of Borno.
He said that the encounter led to the destruction of three gun trucks belonging to the terrorists and neutralising scores of their fighters, while several others fled in disarray with varying degrees of injuries.