Similarly, the troops successfully repelled an attack on Dumbuluwa village in Fika local government area of Yobe State, killing eight of the Boko Haram fighters.

The suspected supplier of fuel to the insurgents, Mai Mustapha, and a man believed to be the coordinator of purchase and supply of food to them, simply named Madu by the military, were arrested in Jehu near Jakana in Borno State.

A statement released on Thursday by Sani Kukasheka Usman, a Colonel, acting Director Army Public Relations, said that the insurgents attacked Dumbuluwa with the aim of taking it over but were engaged by Nigerian troops who repelled them.

He confirmed that while eight of the insurgents were killed, two members of the youth vigilante group in the area were injured.

Usman also stated that soldiers “discovered pile of street lamps poles cut into pieces by Boko Haram terrorists which they use in making Improvised Explosives Devices, while searching for terrorists in Dikwa in Borno State.

He said that in the same vein, during a cordon and search operation in Jakana village the soldiers from the 7 Division Garrison recovered 15 cows, 174 goats and a donkey from rustlers and that the animals had been handed over to their “identified legitimate owners.”

“The rustlers were apprehended and are currently undergoing investigation,” Colonel Usman added.