Four Boko Haram members were on Thursday killed by troops operating in the Northwest of the country, Nigerian Army Spokesperson, Brigadier General Sani Usman has said.
One of the insurgents was killed in an ambush laid by soldiers along Firgi-Pulka road in Bama local government of Borno state, while three others were eliminated as they disguised as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) with the aim of penetrating a military barrier.
He said a major disaster was averted by the troops in one of the operations as they prevented the Boko Haram members from carrying out a suicide mission.
Brig. General Usman, in a statement, said the troops of the 151 and 202 Battalion of 21 brigade and the crack troops of 22 Brigade of operation Lafiya Dole both displayed gallantry in the operations.
He said: ” The Troops of 151 and 202 Battalions of 21 Brigade Nigerian Army, under Operation LAFIYA DOLE in furtherance of clearance and blockade Operation DEEP PUNCH II in separate but well-coordinated attacks simultaneously on Wednesday, 4th October 2017 at about 10:00am laid ambush on unsuspecting Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) along Firgi-Pulka road in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.
“The Troops engaged the terrorists with a heavy fire causing the terrorists to abandon their weapons and flee in disarray with Gun Shot wounds. In the first instance upon exploitation, troops recovered from the ambush site one General Multi-Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) and one motorcycle.
“They also successfully discovered and safely detonated an unexploded ordnance. However, the troops followed with a hot pursuit, neutralized one terrorist and recovered 6 bundles of zinc.
“In the same vein, crack troops of 22 Brigade of Operation LAFIYA DOLE displayed gallantry on 4th October at about 6:05pm by intercepting 3 Boko Haram terrorists disguised as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and trying to infiltrate a barrier.
” The vigilant troops engaged the suicide bombers forcing them to hastily detonate their suicide vest. The troops recovered 2 AK-47 rifles, 2 magazines with several rounds of ammunition and amongst other items.
“The troops’ action saved what would have been another evil machination of BHTs ploy to utilize suicide bombing to inflict heavy casualties on soft targets”.