Hundreds of members of the militant
Islamic sect, Boko Haram, who are fleeing military attacks in the border
communities of Borno State, are regrouping in the mountainous forests
of Adamawa State, a top Defence source told The PUNCH on Monday.
The source said that militants, who were
dislodged from Sambisa Game Reserve and other camps in Borno, had
sought refuge in the Adamawa forests, especially in the Zumo area of
Song Local Government Area.
He also said that the sect members had been sighted in the forests of Maiha and Fufore local government areas of the state.
“Most of the Boko Haram members who are
running away from the military operations in Borno are moving into
Adamawa State. They are regrouping in Zumo area of Song Local Government
Area. Some are in Fufore and Maha local government areas. This
particular area has a combination of mountains, rocks and bushes that
extend to Cameroon,” he said.
Our correspondents learnt that the sect members mingled with civilians when they were escaping from Borno to Adamawa State.
Adamawa has a complex topography
comprising mountains, rocks and thick forests that extend into the
nation’s border with Cameroon.
It is a mountainous land crossed by the
large river valleys – Benue, Gongola and Yedsarem. The valleys of
Cameroon, Mandara and Adamawa mountains form part of the landscape.
The source, who spoke with The PUNCH,
on condition that he would not be named, said that the focus of the
Defence authorities that are coordinating the fight against the
militants would change in the next few days from Northern Borno to
Adamawa State.
He further stated that the influx of
suspected insurgents into Adamawa explained the decision of the Defence
Headquarters to deploy additional 1,000 troops in the state in
preparation for a similar military operation in the area.
The source said, “This might be the
reason behind the decision of the Defence Headquarters to deploy
additional 1,000 soldiers in the state.
“The attention of the Defence
authorities and the Special Forces deployed to flush out suspected
Islamic militants in the North- Eastern part of the country may shift
from Borno where some of the earliest battles have been fought to
Adamawa State.”
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters on
Monday said that 120 terrorists were arrested in Maiduguri, capital of
Borno State, during the burial of a commander of the insurgents.
The military spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Chris
Olukolade, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, said the sect
commander died during an encounter with the Special Task Forces.
“In Maiduguri, about 120 terrorists were
arrested as they organised the burial of one of their commanders who
died in an encounter with the Special Forces the previous day. The
arrested insurgents are in custody of the Joint Task Force where they
are being interrogated,” Olukolade said.
He said the Special Forces had secured
the environs of New Marte, Hausari, Krenoa, Wulgo and ChikunNgulalo in
Borno State after destroying all the terrorists’ camps in the areas.
He said, “The troops are already
interacting with locals and citizens, assuring them of their safety and
freedom from the activities of insurgents.
“Terrorists fleeing towards Chad and
Niger Republic are being contained as they have had encounters with
Multi-National Joint Task Force in various locations towards the border.
“Advancing troops also observed a few shallow graves believed to be those of hurriedly buried members of the terrorist group.”
Olukolade also said that Defence
Headquarters had observed the use of photographs purportedly taken in
the areas covered by the operations.
The defence spokesman said the
photographs were questionable as they did not reflect any related
reality of the social or geographical environment.
He added, “This also makes the story
they claim to depict of Nigerians fleeing to Niger Republic and other
countries doubtful. The media are advised to always strive to associate
stories with accurate pictures in order to avoid misleading the public.”
Also on Monday, the Defence Headquarters assured civilians of cordial relationship in its ongoing war against terrorism.
Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola
Sa’ad Ibrahim, assured civilians of cordial relationship during a
three-day seminar organised in conjunction with the United States.
The seminar was meant to compose a strategy for strengthening civil-military relations and counter-terror strategy.
On his part, the Director of
Civil-Military Relations, Maj.-Gen. Mohammed Ibrahim, said, “There were a
lot of misconceptions on military operations. We are going to clear the
misconceptions and assure people that the military is theirs and
working to protect them.”
At the Monday ceremony, the Director
General of National Orientation Agency, Mike Omeri, said that recent
events in the country showed the need for increasing civil-military
relations in combating threats to the country’s territorial integrity.
“As profound and skilful as our
military intelligence is, it could be greatly impaired if the civilian
populace do not cooperate with it,” he said.
Omeri also urged the directorate of
civil-military relations to set up a centre for proactive management of
information specific to Joint Task Force operations around the country.
(Punch)
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayAdvertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
hmmmmmm ''........they are been contained''.
ReplyDeletewhy are they running again
ReplyDeletekudus to d military guys. Wot is d airforce still waiting for. Go to d forest on air n flush dem out.....pls.
ReplyDeleteThis is just a statement by JTF to justify the imposition of state of emergency in Adamawa state.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy it
DeleteWhy Buhari 's L.G.A D former H O S will not denai his affliation wit des guys. Shame on U kawai...heiiiiiik
ReplyDeleteThese idiots should be rocket down in that bin laden's mountain, lol....
ReplyDeletethe wicked runneth when no one pursuit them, the judgement of God is chasing them to the mountain and the mountain will surely consume them without mercy because they dealt with innocent souls.
ReplyDeletethe Northern elders shud be properly checked nd satched at every checking point cos they're d sponsor of BH insurgent nd too, the FG shud also withdraw any security man they are moving with nd stop them from moving with entourage. They use that means to supply war arm to bh
ReplyDeleteWhy not arrest those northern leaders for treason after those threats they carried out? Get to the root cause of the problem.
ReplyDelete