We killed 20 terrorists in Borno – DHQ

Troops of the Nigerian Armed Forces clashed on Wednesday  with  Boko Haram insurgents who attempted to launch fresh attacks on Mafa and Ajiri in Borno State.

 Twenty of the insurgents were said to have been killed while some soldiers were  injured during the encounters in the two communities.

The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen Chris Olukolade, made this known in an electronic  statement on Thursday just as seven travellers  were massacred by gunmen believed to be Boko Haram   members at Wala ‘A,’  Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.

Olukolade also  said in  his  statement  that different calibre of machine guns and improvised explosive devices  were recovered from the terrorists.

He added that the troops  succeeded in clearing  an ambush with which the insurgents  had  intended to  wreak  havoc on the neighbouring communities.

Our correspondent  learnt that  some soldiers  were  on their way to   confront the Boko Haram members at Mafa  when they ran into the  ambush around  8pm on Wednesday.

It was learnt  that the soldiers retreated and  later stormed the camps of the insurgents  with reinforcement from the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri.

Olukolade  said many  camps in Borno and Adamawa  states were destroyed in the encounters between the insurgents and the  troops.

He said, “Attempts by terrorists to attack Ajiri and Mafa as well as other communities on  the outskirts of Maiduguri and Dikwa in Borno State towards the Cameroon borders, yesterday(Wednesday) were foiled by the security forces.

“The ambush mounted by the terrorists to enable them to unleash terror on the communities unchallenged, was also cleared by troops on reinforcement mission.

“Arms captured from the terrorists include various brands of machine guns and improvised explosive devices.

“Twenty insurgents died in the encounter, while our troops sustained varying degree of injuries.

“Also, more camps were destroyed yesterday (Wednesday) in encounters at various forests and mountains in Adamawa and Borno states.”

Olukolade  also  said that the DHQ had observed with serious concern,  remarks by highly placed persons in government and   commentators on the ongoing campaign by the military to root out insurgents  from  the North-East.

Such people, according to him,  have  been creating the wrong impression about the state of troops in the ongoing operations.

He described as “unfortunate,” the  plot by such people  to demoralise the troops with a view to creating the impression that  soldiers were being defeated by the insurgents.

Olukolade  said, “The  Defence Headquarters has noted with grave concern, the inflammatory pronouncements by some highly placed persons in government and some apparently sponsored commentators in and outside the country who have consistently given false and misleading remarks to describe the disposition of troops in the ongoing operations.

“It has become clear that this sustained campaign is intended to demoralise the troops and give the impression that the military is overwhelmed by the terrorist group.  This tendency is unfortunate to say the least.”

He maintained that it was impossible for the military to be overwhelmed by insurgents, stressing that “the mischievous acts” of those supporting the sect would not dampen the morale of the troops.”

The DHQ spokesman   urged Nigerians to ignore the propaganda of the insurgents and their backers.

Our correspondents also learnt on Thursday that six residents of Gadamayo, who were travelling to Maiduguri, and a patent medicine store owner in  Gwoza were killed  when they ran into insurgents at Wala ‘A’ in Gwoza LGA.

The killing of the seven travellers  took place as the military announced the arrest of one of the Boko Haram’s vicious   human butchers  in Maiduguri.

The human butcher was said to be among those captured in Mainok and Maiduguri recently.

It was learnt that the human  butcher,   who specialises in killing with machetes,     confessed  during interrogation by the Special Forces that he had killed many  people.

Olukolade confirmed his  arrest  in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Thursday.

An  LGA    Transport vehicle with the inscription ‘Dikwa’ was  also attacked by   insurgents in Mafa on Thursday.

It was learnt that the occupants of the bus were lucky to have escaped with different degree of bullet wounds.

An eyewitness    said, “They fired at the bus from their hideout. Although nobody died in the attack, some people were injured.    Soldiers who saw them quickly rushed them to a nearby hospital.”

Meanwhile, the  Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, has called for  legal backing for the military.

Badeh  made  the call   when   House of Representatives members from Adamawa State  led by Mr.  Anthony Madwatte  visited him  in A buja on Thursday.

He said that the military would do everything possible to end the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East.

Badeh said, “What I can guarantee you is that we will do our best but we solicit your assistance to ensure that this war is over.

“We look forward to your protection and you must give us the legal backing for us to do our job.

“ If you want your son to succeed, then you must assist him. If your son succeeds, it is the armed forces that have succeeded.”

Badeh thanked the lawmakers for the support   the National Assembly had been giving  the armed forces.

“We in the military are not custodians of democracy but we are defenders of democracy; we are to ensure that democracy thrives,‘’ the CDS added.

Earlier, Madwatte had said they were in the DHQ  to congratulate him on his appointment as the CDS.

Also on Thursday, the Federal Government said that terrorists deserved no pity from the international community.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, stated this in Abuja while responding to a delegation  from Denmark led by a member of parliament, Mrs. Gjerskov Mette.

He said, “As far as security issue is concerned, Nigeria is very concerned not only in the region but internationally.

“When you see a situation where Boko Haram, a group of rogues will move into a school and slaughter children, I don’t think any one in this world will insist on implementing human rights. I will certainly go against that.”