The Nigerian Army says its men killed a total of 82 Boko Haram insurgents in combat and cleared 630 remote settlements in Borno State in August alone.
Onyema Nwachukwu, Deputy Director Public Relations, Theatre Command Operation Lafiya Dole, made this known via a statement on Friday, stressing that no local government anywhere in Nigeria is under the control of the Boko Haram terrorists.
Nwachukwu was reacting to comments by Buba Galadima, who told TheGuardian in an that Boko Haram currently controls seven local governments in Borno but that the Nigerian military was not being honest with the general public.
He described Galadima’s comments as “only an attempt to propagate falsehood, (and) a futile effort to misinform members of the public on the true security situation in the North East”.
“It is very crucial to set the records straight by making it crystal clear that contrary to his opinions, the Boko Haram terrorists group does not hold or control any Local Government Area in Borno state or in the North-East as claimed in the interview,” Nwachukwu stated.
“These Local Government Areas have been liberated by troops of operation Lafiya Dole and the troops have continued to ensure security in these areas after routing out the insurgents.
“As a matter of fact, locals have been encouraged to return to their communities to resume their vocations and normal life.
“Boko Haram lacks the capability to hold any territory in the North East, hence its mindless attack on innocent and vulnerable civilians with suicide bombings, most of which were made unsuccessful by our vigilant troops,”
“Our troops are, therefore, not waiting only to repel Boko Haram terrorists attacks as erroneously painted in the article, but are rather tactically deployed to deny the adversary freedom of action and access to logistics.”
“One of such major operations was the Operation RESCUE FINALE, which routed the insurgents out of its tactical headquarters in Camp Zero in Sambisa forest and out of its so-called spiritual headquarters in Alargarno.
“Ever since, Operation Lafiya Dole has continued to relentlessly conduct several other operations such as Operation DEEP PUNCH, CHIKIN GUDU Operation and Operation RAWAN KADA alongside the Multinational Joint Task Force.
“These and many other operations have culminated in the degradation and incapacitation of the insurgent group.
“Apparently, this is the reason the terrorist group is striving to remain relevant by resorting to callously use women and children to carry out suicide bomb attacks on soft and vulnerable targets.
“Suffice to mention that in the month of August alone, a total of 82 Boko Haram insurgents have been killed in combat and 630 remote settlements were cleared by our troops.
“Our troops are tirelessly on the trail of the fleeing insurgents as devastating coordinated aerial and artillery bombardments are being unleashed on the terrorist group.”
Nwachukwu, however, acknowledged the fact that some of the fleeing faceless insurgents occasionally mix up with unsuspecting locals and attack them, but “this definitely cannot be described as holding territory”.
“It only simply underscores the need for other relevant agencies to do more to ensure progressive reintegration of the locals into their various communities,” he said.
“Without sounding immodest, it is worthy to note that the counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations of Operation Lafiya Dole in the North East, have been commended within Nigeria and in the international community, resulting in several high-level official visits to the North East by national and international bodies.”