Army Rescues 178 Borno Villagers, Arrest B' Haram Commander

Troops of 7 Division of Nigerian Army with a coordinated ground and aerial military operations with Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in Borno state, have Monday rescued 178 villagers from Boko Haram enclaves and hideouts of Sambisa Forest.

The massive rescue, according to Acting Director Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman in a statement yesterday in Abuja, were made after a joint military “aerial and ground operations” in over two dozen Boko Haram camps and hideouts of the forest.

It reads in part: “The two-day Zaman Lafiya Dole operations in the forest, have also led to the arrest of commander of the terrorists group, along with the rescue of over 170 villagers detained and living with some of the terrorists in the identified Boko Haram camps.

All of these camps and hideouts were also destroyed with the killings of some insurgents, while others fled with gunshot wounds and burns.“Troops were able to rescue the affected villagers, who had been living with the terrorists in bondage for many months, compromising 101 children, after they were screened yesterday, before being taken to Maiduguri for safety and accommodation.”

He said out of the 178 rescued villagers, 101 are children, while women and elderly men, are 78 and 10 respectively.

He said the arrested terrorists commander, is in the custody of the military for further interrogations and investigations.

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