BREAKING: Troops Intercept Suicide Bombers In Maiduguri

Nigerian troops on Friday intercepted and neutralized Improvised Explosive Devices of some suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers at Madiyari village and Jimini-Bolori village in Borno State.

The troops of 101 Battalion of Seven Division made the interception after they received a tip off about impending attack in Maiduguri city by four suspected Boko Haram terrorists, suicide bombers from Sambisa forest through Cashew Plantation.

Three soldiers sustained injuries in the process and they have been evacuated to the unit’s Regimental Aid Post (RAP), for treatment, a statement by the army spokesman, Sani Usman, said.

According to the Army the two unexploded Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) on the suicide bombers were safely defused by a combined team of Nigeria Police and our Explosive Ordinance Device (EOD) experts.

In a related development, the troops also arrested three suspected Boko Haram terrorists at Nwagafete village comprising two women and a 16 year old boy who were connected to suspected terrorists’ food vendors earlier arrested.

Meanwhile in a press conference, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadiq Abubakar, has assured Nigerians of adequate security, saying that more members of the Boko Haram sect are already laying down their arms.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the Air Marshal attributed the success in the war against the insurgents to the commitment of the nation’s armed forces to end the war.

“I want to say that many people are surrendering, many in large numbers. So we want to meet those who are not willing to fight again and that was how this concept of self-chronicle came about.

“You surrender, you’re not armed, you don’t have any explosives and then the law will take its course. Somebody was mentioning amnesty but that is a political decision.

“For us in the military, if you say you’re not going to fight again – you’re surrendering, we’ll bring you out, we escort you and from there we take your name to profile you and get all the intelligence we need to get from you and then we go through the processes of ensuring that you face the law,” he said.

He also said that the Nigeria Air Force is improving on its research development which is targeted at reducing imports of some of its aircraft components.

FG Sees Success In War Against Boko Haram

On the Federal level, the Federal Government says it has attained some level of success in the war against Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria’s disturbed region.

The Minister of Defence, Mr Mansur Dan-Ali, made the declaration on Thursday when he received a report from a committee on the handing-over of liberated areas in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

Addressing members of the committee, he said: “Without contradicting the contents of the report, you will agree with me (that) appreciable success have been recorded against the Boko Haram insurgents, since the inception of the President Muhammadu Buhari as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

Mr Dan-Ali noted that the government would not fail to mete out the full weight of law on those who were bent on jeopardising the nation’s peace and stability.

“Once again, I want to assure you and indeed, all Nigerians that the government remains totally unchanged in its commitment to eradicating insurgency and criminality in the northeast in particular, and the nation in general,” he said.

The Defence Minister warned all persons, groups of individuals and organisations that the government would not condone any activity that could pose threat to Nigeria’s security.

He added that the Federal Government would not hesitate to seek the support of the international community in ensuring adequate security.

“All relevant security agencies of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have been mobilised and directed to swing into action to identify and stop any possible threat to our national security,” he added.


Bookmia Online Books