The Nigerian Army has said that more than 200 insurgents have surrendered to the military following the capture of the strategic town of Banki along the nation’s border with Cameroun on Thursday.
Banki is famous as the centre of a growing international trade between Nigeria, Cameroun and other countries of the Central Africa.
The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said in a short text message that the insurgents surrendered to the troops in Banki on Sallah day.
“Over 200 Boko Haram terrorists have just surrendered to our troops in Banki.” He said
The Acting Army Spokesman, who described the development as unprecedented, said that the insurgents had run out of ammunition and other logistics and were in disarray.
He attributed the victory and its fallout to a renewed vigour on the part of the military, the government and the citizenry in the fight against the terrorists.
He said, “I can tell you that the figure is more than 200 and this is quite unprecedented. This is in line with what we have been saying that the Boko Haram terrorists have run out of ammunition and other logistic supplies.”
Usman had said in a late night statement on Thursday that the troops who captured Banki also destroyed seven Boko Haram camps, in addition to detonating seven Explosive Devices in the town.
Speaking to journalists in Maiduguri on Friday at an interactive session, the Theatre Commander of the Operation Lafiya Dole (Peace is a Must) in the North East, Maj.-Gen. Yusha’u Mahmud Abubakar, confirmed the development.
He said most of the areas that were hitherto in the hands of the insurgents can now be occupied by members of the public.
Abubakar said, “We have started sending our engineers to repair all the destroyed bridges. Already our engineers have started reconstructing the destroyed bridges along Gamboru-Ngala- Maiduguri, Gombi- Garkida- Biu Roads among others and very soon, the menace of Boko Haram will be over.
“But this can never be achieved without the full cooperation of the media and the general public.”
The Army chief further revealed that a major disaster was averted in Maiduguri during the Sallah as a suspected terrorist, who had allegedly planned to plant a bomb in a mosque, was apprehended on the eve of Eid-el-Kabir.
He said the suspect was undergoing interrogation and helping the security agencies with vital information that would assist in arresting those responsible for Sunday’s multiple attacks on Maiduguri, in which 54 persons were confirmed dead.
