Boko Haram leader vows to disrupt elections
By Jibrin Baba Ndace
Abuja, with agency
Troops carrying out mopping up operations in Borno state have killed over 300 insurgents, the Defence Headquarters said yesterday.
A statement issued in Abuja by the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Major General Chris Olukolade, said the ongoing air and land bombardment of insurgents’ enclaves had inflicted massive casualties on them.
The director said: “Mopping-up operation of some of the communities where terrorists have been cleared in the course of ongoing air and land operations against terrorists has indicated massive casualty inflicted on them within the last two days of the counter-terrorist operations.
“Over 300 terrorists were killed while a few were also captured. Several weapons and equipment were also captured and some destroyed.”
He added: “It has been confirmed that five different types of armoured fighting vehicles, an anti-aircraft gun, about 50 cases of packed bombs and eight different types of machine guns, five rocket propelled grenades, 49 boxes of various types and calibres of ammunition as well as 300 motorcycles destroyed in the fighting.
“A total of six Hilux vehicles, including those mounted with anti-aircraft guns, were also destroyed.
“However, two soldiers lost their lives, while 10 others were wounded in the course of the operation.
“The cordon and search operation is continuing along with aggressive patrols by troops who are now dominating the cleared communities such as Monguno, Gabchari, Abba Jabari, Zuntur, Gajigana, Gajiram, Damakar, Kumaliwa, Bosso Wanti, Jeram and Kabrisungul.
“The various phases of the highly coordinated air and land operations are also ongoing in the designated theaters being handled by contingents involved in the renewed counter terrorism campaign in and outside Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has threatened to disrupt the forthcoming general elections, which were already postponed until next month because of violence.
In a new video posted online late Tuesday, Shekau said that even if clashes cost his fighters their lives, Allah will not allow the elections to proceed.
The militant group has repeatedly warned Nigerians not to vote in the presidential and parliamentary elections, now set for March 28. The polls were originally scheduled for February 14 but election officials decided to push back the vote.
In a related development, reports from south-eastern Niger Republic say at least 20 people were killed after an unidentified plane dropped a bomb on a village near the Nigerian border. Nigeria has denied responsibility for the bombing, which took place in an area where Boko Haram is active.
The Nigerian military says its forces have killed more than 300 militants and retaken 11 towns from Boko Haram during air and land operations since Monday.
There was no way to independently confirm the military’s claims.
VOA noted that Boko Haram has killed thousands of Nigerians in the past five years and seized numerous towns in the northeast for what it calls an Islamic caliphate.
Forces from Niger, Cameroon and Chad are working to help Nigeria fight the group, which has responded with attacks in each of those countries.