Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
No fewer than 115 Boko Haram have been neutralised in nearly two months of military operations in the northeast Borno and Yobe States.
Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai in an address at an Eid Fitri luncheon organised for wounded and recuperating soldiers of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri, Borno State capital on Sunday said 84 Boko Haram were also captured within the period.
“Since my arrival at the Theatre on April 4, we have neutralized 115 Boko Haram terrorists in our different operations and arrested 84 Boko Haram informants and couriers, thereby tightening the blockage of logistics to the terrorists,” he said.
The army chief said he relocated to Borno, epicentre of Boko Haram insurgency in April, to boost the morale of troops in the front line and step up thr war against the terrorists.
He said he was with troops in the theatre of operation and battle fields at about a dozen locations in Borno and Yobe States where troops destroyed Boko Haram’s camps and hideouts.
“We’ve succeeded in dislodging Boko Haram from their camps and tumbus. This led to Boko Haram attacking some communities in search of medicine to treat their wounded colleagues,” he disclosed.
He however said the army lost 11 of its troops during the operation, urging others not to allow the sacrifices of the fallen soldiers to be in vain. He said the army also experienced challenge in the delivery of its warfare due to the lockdown caused by Coronavirus pandemic.