In an Ambush, Troops Kill Scores of Terrorists Near Maiduguri

(NIGERIA) The Defence Headquarters, which disclosed this in a statement, said a very large number of terrorists  met their waterloo after falling into the ambush laid for them by Nigerian troops between Maiduguri and Damboa.

Responding to THISDAY enquiries, Director of Defence Information (DDI), Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade, could not confirm the number of the terrorists  killed in the encounter.

According to Olukolade, the Boko Haram members killed in the ambush "are quite large in number. Yes I can confirm that the incident took place but the exact casualty figures are still being ascertained".

DHQ explained that the clash followed the troops’ move to stop the terrorists that wanted to attack the electricity engineers, who were working to restore power to parts of Borno State.

"A large number of the terrorists died in the process while their improvised explosive device (IED) laden Hilux truck vehicle was destroyed.

"During the encounter, the troops also captured a Hilux vehicle earlier stolen by the terrorists from the Borno State Ministry of Education, which they have repainted and mounted with an anti-aircraft gun", the DHQ statement pointed out.

It added: "Other weapons recovered by troops include rocket propelled grenades and rifles.  Unfortunately however, two soldiers died in the encounter".

In a similar development, Military Engineer troops who have been clearing terrorists IEDs and effecting repairs on bridges have reportedly repelled an attack while working on a bridge around Husara.

"Several terrorists also died in the encounter. A total of four General Purpose Machine Guns, three rifles and two rocket propelled grenade launchers were captured from the terrorists during the encounter. One soldier however died while three others were wounded in the encounter", the statement revealed.

In Adamawa State, troops were said to have continued with the conduct of land patrol of towns of Mubi, Uba, Garkida, Muva and others towns and villages as their advance through coordinated air and land operations in furtherance of counterterrorism campaign.

Meanwhile, the Director-General, Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Ita Ekpenyong, yesterday said any divisive tendencies or machinations against Nigeria by terror elements and unscrupulous politicians will not succeed.

Ekepenyong expressed optimism that the nation was on the path of lasting growth and development.

The director-general spoke at the graduation ceremony of participants of Executive Intelligence Management Course 7 (EIMC) from the service’s Institute for Security Studies in Abuja.

He said security agencies owed it as a duty to protect and ensure the indivisibility of the nation, adding that they would do this in the face of enormous challenges, according to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report.

“Like every other country on earth today, Nigeria is grappling with its own share of global insecurity. As a service, our response to threats to national security has been very comprehensive. They include continuous human capacity development, extensive intelligence collection
programmes and collaboration with stakeholders both within and outside the country.

“Our intelligence collection efforts make threat indicators explicit and are also geared toward ensuring the success of government policies and programmes”, he said.

Ekpenyong said the service, in the last five years, recorded a modest achievement, adding that the government, public and stakeholders had approved of its efforts to ensure safe, stable and indivisible country.

NAN reported that 48 executives from public and private organisations participated in the course.

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