Troops of Operation Fire Ball in the North-East have neutralised 23 terrorists and captured one Improvised Explosive Device (IED) specialist in Ngamdu, near Maiduguri.
Brigadier-General Benard Onyeuko, Acting Director, Defense Media Operations, who disclosed this on Tuesday said some of the terrorists were decimated while trying to obtain ransom from relatives of their abducted victims.
According to him, two women and three children were rescued unhurt from the Boko Haram/Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists.
He said weapons recovered from the criminals include four gun trucks, one fabricated vehicle blinde legar, two anti aircraft guns, one general purpose machine gun, two PKT guns, eight Ak-47 rifles and two Ak-47 rifles magazines, one Ak 47 rifle cover and one dane gun.
“The gallant troops of Operation Fire Ball in the various sectors of the Theatre, have continued to dominate the general areas of operation and carry out their tasks relentlessly and professionally. The successes so far achieved were made possible with the commitment and gallantry exhibited by the well motivated troops within the period under review. The troops have carried out aggressive clearance operations, ambushes, robust day and night patrols in order to finally decimate the remnants of the Boko Haram/ISWAP criminals. The troops of Operation FIRE BALL under Operation LAFIYA DOLE are hereby commended for their resilience, doggedness and professionalism exhibited since the beginning of the operation. They are equally encouraged not to relent but build on the successes recorded so far”.
He, however, said six soldiers wounded in the operation were responding to treatment at a military hospital.
Onyeuko appealed to citizens to assist the troops with credible information about terrorists’ movements and hideouts as the troops were determined to rid the area of remnants of terrorists.
