How troops rescue more 160 children, women

The military has rescued more women and children from the Sambisa Forest enclaves of Boko Haram insurgents.

The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, who made this known in a statement on Wednesday night, also said that some commanders of the militant Islamist sect were   killed during further raids on the forest.

Special Forces had on Tuesday rescued 293 girls and women from the forest in Borno State.

Tuesday’s success had fuelled speculations that the girls, who are undergoing health checks at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, might be the Chiboks schoolgirls who were abducted by insurgents from their hostel on April 14, 2014.

Although the Defence Headquarters which announced the freeing of the 293   girls and women, said it had yet to ascertain their identities, the Borno State Government claimed that most of them were from Bumsiri,   Damboa Local Government Area.

Usman, in his statement, did not give the number of those freed on Wednesday but our correspondent gathered that they were 160.

He said that a soldier and a woman were killed during the operation that led to the destruction of five additional training camps and facilities of the insurgents. Also, four soldiers and eight women were injured.

The troops, according to Usman, destroyed four more training camps, two Armoured Personnel Carriers, two Buffalo vehicles mounted with anti-aircraft guns, a truck and several Toyota Hilux vans.

But the soldiers recovered one Anti-Aircraft Gun, one General Purpose Machine Gun, one Rocket Propelled Grenade and several AK-47 rifles.

Usman said, “Recall that we promised to keep you abreast of troops’ progress in respect of Nigerian military’s ongoing operations to rid the country of terrorists and their enclaves.

“In line with that, I wish to inform you that in the evening of today (Wednesday), troops of the 7 Division Nigerian Army also cleared several terrorists strong points and training camps within Sambisa Forest.

“The troops have also rescued additional women and children. They have been evacuated to a safe zone for further processing.

“During the encounter, unfortunately we lost a soldier while four others were wounded in action.

“The troops killed several Boko Haram field commanders and foot soldiers and destroyed two APCs, two Buffalo vehicles mounted with anti-aircraft guns, a truck and several Hilux vehicles.

“The gallant soldiers also recovered one Anti-Aircraft Gun, one General Purpose Machine Gun, one Rocket Propelled Grenade and several AK-47 rifles. Sadly, one woman died and eight other women sustained gunshot wounds.

“So far, the troops have destroyed nine terrorist camps in the forest.’’

He said that the camps destroyed were in addition to four others destroyed by the military on Tuesday.

According to him, the camps destroyed are Wulari Bukar, Gangala, Anguwar Bakwai and Jigide, Kotorima, Lagara Bello and Lagara Fulani.

Usaman said that the   troops were poised to destroy all the remaining terrorist camps and rescue other hostages in all terrorist enclaves.

The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, insisted   during a news conference in Abuja on Thursday that the identities of the women and girls rescued on Tuesday had yet to be ascertained.

He stated however that   some of the rescued ladies might be from   Bumsiri community in Damboa as claimed by the Borno State Government.

Olukolade said, “The true identity of some of the rescued women and girls isyet to be ascertained. At the moment, what is uppermost and of priority is their movement to a conducive place where they are now undergoing thorough profiling to verify where they come from, how they found themselves in the forest, etc.

“Additional number of persons is still being recovered from the forest. Until such comprehensive profiling is done, nobody can confirm whether they are among the Chibok girls or not.

“Whoever they may be, the important thing is that Nigerians held captive under very severe and inhuman condition have been freed by our gallant troops. The joy and sense of hope being expressed by many Nigerians on hearing about the rescue operation are therefore understandable.

“We would like to reassure them that the momentum of this operation will be sustained until that Sambisa Forest is comprehensively cleaned out and all Nigerians held captive within the bowels of the forest are rescued. There is a great hope for the recovery of more hostages of the terrorists.”

Urging the Boko Haram fighters to surrender themselves, the DHQ spokesman stressed that the military would not be deterred by the   mines planted in the forest and   difficult terrain in the prosecution of the campaign against them.

Olukolade also said that the military had captured over 13 terrorist camps in the dreaded forest.

“Over 13 terrorists’ camps including the notorious Tokumbere camp in Sambisa Forest have been captured. Camps overran and destroyed by troops include Wulari Bukar, Gangala, Anguwar Bakwai, Jigide, Kotorima, Lagura Bello, Lagina Fulani, among others.” he added

Just as news of the lastest rescue of captives spread, President Goodluck Jonathan   promised that he would do all within his powers to ensure that all parts of the country still under the control of terrorists were totally liberated before May 29.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, quoted him(Jonathan) as making the promise while receiving a delegation of Heads of Customs from the West and Central African Region of the World Customs Organisation led by the Secretary-General of the organisation,   Kunio Mikuriya, in Abuja.

“We can now say two states are completely free from terrorist control, while in the third state, it is only in one Local Government Area that they are still present. That is in the Sambisa forest,” the President told his guests.

On his decision to concede victory to the President-elect before all the results of the presidential elections were announced, Jonathan said elections must be approached from a nationalistic point of view.

He said, “Our elections should be about where Nigeria is going. If Nigeria is moving forward, it is for the good of all Nigerians. My children and grandchildren will live and grow in this country and contribute to it.

“I always tell my colleagues to leave office when their time is up. We are trying to encourage African leaders not to remain in power as kings until death.’