Nigerian troops at the weekend began a raid on the den of the Boko Haram insurgents in Sambisa Forest, just as the Amy announced that it had captured another wanted Boko Haram member.

The Nigerian Army, which has always said that it would meet the December deadline given by President Muhammadu Buhari to wipe out the insurgency in the North east, on Saturday said that its troops are moving in on the last known den of the insurgents,

The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Yusha’u Abubakar, a Major General, confirmed this at a press conference when speaking on its one week long success in the fight against the sect.

Abubakar said the captured wanted member of Boko Haram, Danladi Abdullahi, who is number 26 on the list of 100 wanted members of the group released by the army a few weeks back, was caught in Maiduguri.

According to him, Abdullahi was arrested on November 13 with the assistance of the men of the Department of State Security, DSS, in the Maiduguri metropolis.

While highlighting operational successes of the security forces so far, Abubakar listed several villages and towns that have been cleared of insurgents.

He said that dare devil Boko Haram fighters attacked  Kardewa village but were successfully repelled
and 25 motorcycles 40 flags,10 grinding machines and impoverished explosive devices, IED – making factory recovered from them.

Abubakar further said that camps of the terror group at Angwan Fulani Rugo, Angwan Fulani Kardewa, Dure Fadagwe, Christian, Fadagwe Muni and Balazala have also been destroyed.

On various repelled attempts of the sect, he said that troop repelled a series attacks by the insurgents who launched rockets into Maiduguri on November 10 in an attempt to take it over.

The next day, at Ngumnari, near Monguno, at about 3:30pm, troops encountered Boko Haram terrorists and engaged them in a battle and two insurgents were killed, the Major General stated, adding that an AK 47 rifle and a dane gun captured from them and several motorcycles destroyed.

On November 12, he said the troops recorded victory at Gudumbali after engaging the insurgents in crossfire and successfully liberated the town with 10 insurgents killed as weapons and ammunition of various types were also recovered.

Same day, Abubakar said at about 12:30pm, troops arrested three suspected Boko Haram terrorists in Geidam and that they are being questioned, while on November 13 at about 10:20am, another suspected Boko Haram terrorist, Ali Lokoja, was arrested by troops.

He also disclosed that 14 more Boko Haram terrorists were arrested at Katarko, noting that all suspects are under investigation/interrogation.

Abubakar also stated that Gwoza was attacked by insurgents in the wee hours of the morning but that they were repelled and pursued out of the area.

During the operation, he said, seven insurgents were killed and items including a Hilux Vehicle, 11 AK 47 rifles, one Shilka gun, one RPG tube, six hand grenade. several Shilka and MG rounds recovered.

Nigerian troops are also said to have recorded a major success with the killing of 18 insurgents at Gasarwa, a settlement between Maiduguri and Monguno on November 13, where two AK 47 rifles, a GPMG, a RPG 7 bomb, a box of 7.62mm special, two GPMG belts were recovered.