Troops arrest 504 insurgents, rescue1,880 in Sambisa forest

The Nigerian army in its operation in Sambisa forest to rid it off the presence of Boko Haram terrorists have rescued additional 1,880 women and children from insurgents.

The theatre commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor, in a news conference at the Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri on Wednesday, December 21, said that troops also arrested about 504 Boko Haram terrorists while 19 of them willingly surrendered.

He said that the Army had arrested about 37 foreigners who were currently undergoing interrogations to ascertain whether they were terrorists or not.

“We also arrested about seven kidnappers and we are currently interrogating them. Our troops have continued to make significant progress in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency.

“I gladly say that our troops have successfully mop up all the areas in Sambisa Forest including gate one.

“We are currently in camp zero; I am not going to tell you what we are doing there. But I can assure you that we are recording remarkable successes,” he said.

The theatre commander said: “69 male adults, 180 females, 227 male children and 129 female children, were rescued during the operation between December 7 and December 14.

He noted that troops have continued to make progress in the offensive move in Sambisa forest.