…Military chiefs heed Tinubu’s order
…’We will continue to intensify our efforts against all criminal elements’ GOC
By Uche Onyeali, Abuja and HASSAN JIRGI, Maiduguri
Troops of the Nigerian military have confirmed the killing over 60 members of Boko Haramre terrorists during a fierce operation in Malam Fatori, Borno State.
According to the source the operation, carried out by forces under Operation Hadin Kai in collaboration with the Nigerian Air Force, was said to have repelled an attempted attack by suspected ISWAP fighters, who reportedly advanced on military positions using drones and ground assault tactics.
A credible security sources indicated that the troops responded with coordinated firepower, successfully foiling the infiltration attempt and forcing the insurgents to retreat after heavy casualties.
The intensified military operations in Borno, a region that remains a hotspot in Nigeria’s long-running battle against insurgent groups.
Source added that the military recorded significant success, a few soldiers reportedly sustained minor injuries during the encounter and have since been stabilised.
Meanwhile, Heads of Nigerian Armed Forces, led by the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS,
General Olufemi Oloyede and the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt. Gen. Waidu Shaibu, yesterday arrived Maiduguri, Borno State, following the multiple explosion that rocked the city on Monday night.
The military chiefs’ move to Maiduguri came barely 24 hours after President Bola Tinubu directed security chiefs to relocate to the state after the bombings, suspected to have been carried out by terrorists, killed 23 persons and injured about, 108 others, according to the police.
The security chiefs arrived the city yesterday in a white and red-painted jet at the Maiduguri Air Force base.
They were received by the theatre commander of Operation Hadin Kai, the GOC, and other top military officials.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by special adviser to the president on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu mourned those who lost their lives, sympathised with the injured, and expressed solidarity with residents of the state.
“I want to make it categorically clear that these acts of terror are the final desperate and frantic attempts by criminals and terrorist elements trying to instill and spread fear, as they are under constant pressure from our brave armed forces and security agencies operating in various theatres.
“We will continue to intensify our efforts against all criminal elements, wherever they may be”, the statement said.
