The Nigerian Army has successfully rescued 387 families of Boko Haram fighters from the Sambisa Forest.
The rescue operation, which involved highbred forces from the Sector-One North-East Joint Taskforce Operations in Kai, included men, women, and children. Led by Brig. Gen. Diwa, the troops also recovered several vehicles and equipment that had been seized by the terrorists at the height of the insurgency.
At the entrance of Sambisa in Awulari Konduga LGA, the jubilant troops were received by the Sector One Acting Commander, Abubakar Haruna.
Haruna stated that the terrorists must either surrender or face death, as all known camps and enclaves had been destroyed. The operation, initially planned for four days, ultimately lasted ten days.
Hajara Danjuma, one of the rescued wives of Boko Haram fighters, shared her story. “We were living in Maiduguri before my husband disappeared without a trace. Tired of being called the wife of Boko Haram, I moved to my parents’ house in Gombe. One day, my husband’s colleagues forcibly took me to the bush, where I found myself in Sambisa. I have seven children, apart from the two I left in Maiduguri. When I saw the soldiers, I walked to them with my children and those of my co-wife, who had died in the forest. My husband had left home three days before the army arrived at our camp,” she said.
The rescued families and the recovered equipment have been transported to the command headquarters in Maiduguri, from where they will be sent to the army headquarters in Abuja.