Nigerian Army has announced that its men killed 40 insurgents and freed 85 Boko Haram captives in different operations in Borno state over the weekend.
Army spokesman, Col. Sani Usman, said in a statement on Sunday that the captives were mainly women and children.
Usman said the captives were rescued during a clearing operation, led by the General Officer, Commanding, 7 Division, Brig. Gen. Victor Ezugwu, against the Boko Haram at Chukungudu in northern Borno between November 4 and November 5, 2016.
He said the troops of the 3 Battalion of 22 Brigade successfully cleared Geram, Bulankassa and Chukungudu, which were believed to be strongholds of insurgents in the areas.
According to Usman, the troops killed five of the insurgents in the operation in which five soldiers were wounded and a member of the local vigilante killed.
“The troops recovered four rounds of rocket-propelled grenade bombs, one double barrelled gun, 349 packets of various rounds of ammunition, three magazines, a link belt of machine gun ammunition and one AK-47 rifle magazine from the fleeing insurgents,” he said.
He added that the troops further discovered an improvised explosive device-making factory at Geram, where they found several primed suicide bomber vests.
Also said to have been recovered were a well- equipped vehicles and motorcycles workshop and spare parts warehouse at Chukungudu village.
Usman added that the troops of the 27 Task Force Brigade carried out an operation code-named ‘Operation Karya Gwuiwa’ and cleared terrorists hideout at Ajigin, Golgore, Njibulla, Doksa 1, 2 and 3 villages, located at southern parts of Borno State.
He said the troops killed 37 of the insurgents and recovered three AK-47 rifles from them.
According to him, the troops also captured a suspected Boko Haram member named Musa Jibril and a female believed to be used as a sex slave by the insurgents.
