Troops Rescue 669 Abducted Civilians Held Hostages By Terrorists

No fewer than 669 captives held by terrorists have been rescued by troops in the last three weeks.

Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said 23 terrorists were killed, 19 arrested, while 1,158 and their families surrendered in the renewed offensive against criminal elements in the northern part of the country.

Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General  Bernard Onyeuko, said yesterday that troops also arrested one Abdurrazaq Hudu, a logistics supplier of Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) at Mutum Biyu village in Gassol council of Taraba State. Troops, he said, recovered many weapons and other items including cash from terrorists in the Northeast.

“A total number of 1,158 terrorists and their families surrendered to own troops within the period under review comprising 164 men, 367 women and 627 children.

“Also, troops neutralised 23 terrorists, rescued 619 civilians and arrested 19 terrorists,” he said.

Onyeuko explained that all surrendered Boko Haram terrorists, recovered items, rescued civilians and captured terrorists have been handed over to appropriate authorities for further actions.

In the North West, he said troops of  Operation Hadarin Daji theatre sustained aggressive operations to deny terrorists and bandits further freedom of action which culminated into the rescue of 32 women and 18 children in Zamfara State.

He said troops on 10 April 2022,  responded to a distress call of terrorist attack at Wanzamai in Tsafe local government area of Zamfara State and mobilized to the village and engaged the terrorist where scores of the terrorists were killed.

The Director said in the cause of the operation troops rescued 32 women and 18 children, adding that troops in a similar move successfully foiled terrorist attacks in Bakura village in Bakura Local Government Area of Zamfara, where unspecified numbers of terrorist were neutralized and 200 rustled cattle recovered.