By Our Correspondent
Troops of 7 Division Garrison, Nigerian Army, in Operation Lafiya Dole, yesterday, made a remarkable progress by arresting a Boko Haram Terrorist kingpin, Mr John Trankil, at Kasuwar Shanu in Maiduguri metropolis.
The Media Coordinator, Operation Lafiya Dole, Col. Tukur Ismail Gusau, disclosed yesterday in a statement issued in Abuja.
The statement read in part: “Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect said that nine of them were sneaked into the Maiduguri armed with AK 47 assault rifle each and a Hilux vehicle laden with 20 Improvised Explosive Devices meant to be detonated at some selected targets in the city.
“The Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Yusha’u Mahmood Abubakar, commended the efforts of the troops and renewed call for the troops and the public to be more vigilant and security conscious particularly at all check points, markets, worship centres, motor parks and schools.”
It added that “in a related development, troops of 21 Brigade, Nigerian Army, while on offensive operations on Boko Haram terrorists’ location, with the support from the Nigerian Air Force, discovered and destroyed the terrorists’ Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and Rocket making factory along Bama-Gonin Kurmi within the outskirts of Bama town, Borno state.”
The statement further said “the items recovered included gas cylinders, welding machine, pipes and poles. Others include locally made rocket shells, large quantities of assorted chemicals, unprimed IEDs and various technical and laboratory equipment suspected to be stolen from schools’ laboratories around Bama before they were dislodged from the area.”
