Boko Haram: Nigerian Military Commences Special Operation

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) in Abuja on Thursday said that the military had embarked on specialized operation to flush out the Boko Haram insurgents from Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

The Director of Defence Information, Maj-.Gen. Chris Olukolade, made the disclosure when he briefed newsmen on the security situation in the three states under state of emergency.

Olukolade said the new approach marked another phase in the operations which were designed to further curtail the terrorists’ activities. “The specialised campaign, which has commenced is being undertaken simultaneously in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa. “The operation is also in furtherance of efforts at apprehending the terrorists and ensuring that they do not escape out of Nigeria as they are now desperate to do,” he said. He said the seeming resurgent activities of the insurgents were at best a reaction to the renewed offensive against it.

“In desperation for money and food, they looted and burnt banks, shops and filling stations along their way through Michika as they headed for the Cameroon border. “Six of their fighters were killed, two captured while nine of their vehicles were destroyed; one soldier and three civilians also died in the encounter. “It is believed that those involved in this latest attacks are elements that perpetrated the mayhem against students of the Federal Government College, Buni-Yadi, Yobe, and other places.