Nigerian Army Hands Over 65 Rescued Boko Haram Hostages To Shettima

BEVERLY HILLS, May 06, (THEWILL) – The Nigerian Army has handed over 65 women and children rescued from suspected terrorists' hideouts to Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno.

Brig.-Gen. Victor Ezugwu, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, on Friday, handed over the rescued victims at a ceremony in Maiduguri.

Ezugwu said that the rescued victims – 38 women and 27 children, were rescued from communities following the Operation Crackdown on Boko Haram terrorists in Sambisa forest raided by the during the operation in Borno.

He revealed that the army decided to hand them over to the state government for counselling before re-integrating them to their communities adding that two of the women were Cameroonians, while the rest were Nigerians.

Gov. Shettima commended the troops for their bravery and commitment toward ending the Boko Haram menace in the North East as he expressed shock at the condition of the victims.

He promised that the Cameroonians would be handed over to the authorities in their country, while the rest would be rehabilitated by the state government.

“It is gladdening to note that our troops are recording tremendous successes in the operation,” he said.

“We believe that in the nearest future, this madness will come to an end.

“We will relocate them to a safe environment for counselling before reuniting them with their communities.

“We are lucky to have a number of UN organisations on ground who will counsel them.”

Shettima also promised to provide anti-natal care to 12 pregnant woman among the victims to ensure they were in good health.

Story by David Oputah