Gallant Troops rescue 998 persons from Boko Haram insurgents

Troops of the 3 Battalion and 22 Brigade yesterday rescued about 998 persons from Boko Haram insurgents in Maiduguri, Borno State.

The Nigerian Army Headquarters said the operations leading to the rescue were carried out by the troops with some civilian JTF.

Director Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Sani Usman, in a statement, said: “Following confirmed information about the presence of remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in some villages around Ngala, troops of 3 Battalion, 22 Brigade Nigeria Army on Friday along with some civilian JTF embarked on fighting patrol to the area.

“The patrol team had a fierce encounter with the terrorists at Ndufu which they decisively dealt with before proceeding to clear Muktu and Muzuri as well as nearby communities within the area.

“Although some of the terrorists fled to various directions on sighting the troops, the patrol team was able to neutralise nine terrorists, destroyed their Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making factory and rescue 998 persons.

“Those rescued were 125 at Ndufu, 802 at Muktu and 71 persons at Muzuri. The troops also vaccinated all children under the age of five with polio vaccinations despite the fierce battle.”

Usman added: “In addition the troops recovered an AK-47 Rifle Magazine, 2 Boko Haram terrorist flags, 4 Motorcycles, 2 Solar Panels, 2 already prepared IEDs, Detonating cords and other explosive making components.

“It is gratifying to note that 3 Battalion has maintained its status as one of the best fighting unit in the theatre as they did not sustain any casualty or injury during the operation.”