Investigations on Tuesday revealed that
the Special Forces, comprising ground troops and the Air Force fighters,
had demobilized one of the strongest fortresses of the Boko Haram sect.
It was learnt that the soldiers, who
carried out the operation, were shocked by the volume of arms and
ammunition and hundreds of operational vehicles that they captured at
the camp.
A source put the number of vehicles captured from the insurgents at 700 while several members of the sect were arrested.
The spokesman of the 7th Division, Col.
Mohammed Dole, referred our correspondent to the Director of Defence
Information, Maj.-Gen Chris Olukolade, for comments on the issue.
Olukolade, who confirmed the capture of
the Boko Haram camp, said that several terrorists who were wounded in
the military raids were arrested and had made useful confessions.
The Director of Defence Information said
in an electronic mail on Tuesday that some of the wounded terrorists
who were captured near Lake Chad were pleading for mercy and were
cooperating with interrogators from the Multi-National Joint Task Force.
Olukolade said that some of the insurgents were captured by troops around Dikwa, Cross Kauwa, Kukawa and Alargarmo.
He said that the captives revealed
during interrogation that some of the camps were disbanded as the sect
could no longer sustain the operation.
“In their confessions, it was revealed
that some of the camps have been disbanded following the directive of
their clerics who declared that the operation of the sect had come to an
end as the mission could no longer be sustained.
“The captured terrorists, who are giving
useful information as to the locations of their remnant forces, are
full of apologies and pleas for their lives to be spared promising to
cooperate,” the statement reads in part.
Olukolade said that the captured
insurgents complained of starvation and the frequency of bombardments as
some of the major problems which affected them.
The Defence spokesman warned members of
the public to stay away from the area, saying troops were still
continuing with the operation in the three states.
“They confirmed that starvation was a
major problem in addition to ceaseless bombardments on the camp
locations even when they kept relocating. They also confirm that
several members of the group have been wounded and no treatment was
forthcoming. Troops have continued their assault on other locations
across the states covered by the state of emergency.
“Meanwhile, members of the public who
have started visiting to engage in sight-seeing in some dislodged camps
and fringes of forests such as Sambisa and others have been warned to
desist from doing so as the tendency will no more be condoned where
operations are still ongoing.
“The general area still remains a
theatre and movement remains restricted as the environment has to be
cleared for safety of citizens. The public will be informed when the
locations are safe enough.”
It was learnt that the seized vehicles
included those that the insurgents used for attacks and other vehicles
they snatched from people.
Military sources said that the camp was
well planned with boreholes, dispensary and other facilities to aid the
operations of the insurgents.
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