A white man whose
nationality is yet to be
disclosed, was arrested
inside Sambisa Forest as
Nigerian troops cleared Boko
Haram insurgents out of their
last fortress on Thursday.
“The man is under custody
and providing positive
information”, said a soldier,
who just returned to
Maiduguri from the liberated
forest.
NAN quoting Daily Trust on
Sunday said the soldier said
while hundreds of Boko
Haram fighters were killed
during the offensive that
began about a month ago,
many others were captured
alive while attempting to flee.
“Hundreds of Boko Haram
captives, including men,
women and children have
been freed and taken to
safety.
“All I can tell you is that no
big Boko Haram commander is
alive in the Sambisa; we are
in control of the forest.
“It took months of planning
and mapping because of the
size, difficult weather and
other factors in the Sambisa
Forest.”
The source said that one of
the major factors that
delayed the takeover of the
insurgents’ hideout was the
thousands of people,
including those living in
villages around the vast
forest that were being held
as human shield by the Boko
Haram leaders.
It was gathered that the
4,200 troops were deployed
to the Sambisa Forest
through various fronts,
including Ngurosoye,
Konduga/Aulari, Bama, Fulka
and Damboa.
“The 151 Battalion of the
Nigerian Army advanced into
Sambisa through the Banki-
Darul Jamal axis, the 27
Battalion advanced through
Mafa, the 152 Battalion
advanced through Pulka,
while the 222 Battalion
approached the dreaded
forest through the Maiduguri
axis,” another soldier, who
participated in the operation,
said.
He said the operation was
carried out day and night.
“When mine detectors
cleared the way, troops
moved in to confront the
insurgents, who were equally
well armed with sophisticated
fighting equipment