Meanwhile, Nigerian soldiers have released 71 people, almost all girls and women, from the captivity of Takfiri Boko Haram militants in the African country’s restive northeastern state of Borno.
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Fifty-nine people, all women and children except for five elderly men, were freed Thursday, Col. I.T. Gusau said.
“Consequently, a large number of the insurgents were killed and several others were injured”, Air Commodore Dele Alonge, Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, said in a statement, without giving the incident any timeframe.
The military has not said when the attacks occurred.
Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, the defense chief fired when Buhari got rid of the top echelon of Nigeria’s military last month, complained last week that “fifth columnists” in the military have leaked operational plans to Boko Haram. The violence has recently spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
Boko Haram, which calls itself the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) since pledging allegiance to the militant group that controls large areas of Syria and Iraq, is fighting to establish an emirate in northeast Nigeria.
Azem Bermendoa Agouna said,”For two weeks, Boko Haram terrorists have been trying to infiltrate our islands on Lake Chad to varry out attacks on peaceful citizens”.
President Thomas Boni Yayi made the announcement Saturday during a visit from Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, which coincided with Benin’s independence anniversary.
But even with the liberation of the town, many who fled during its capture by Boko Haram refused to return for fear that the terrorists might have hidden in the numerous mountains and hills surrounding the town.
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The force will contain troops from Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad, with Benin also committed to help.
