No less than 1, 250 Boko Haram terrorists and their families surrendered to troops of the Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) in the Northeast.
The terrorists’ surrender, followed seven days of deadly clashes between Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) that claimed over 200 lives of terrorists and their families.
A counter-insurgency expert, in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed, yesterday in Maiduguri that; “ISWAP carried out reprisal attacks on Boko Haram terrorists on February 25 and 27, 2023 in Gaizuwa, Mantari, Gabchari, Kashimiri and Maimusari, in Bama local council of Borno state.”
He said ISWAP successfully dislodged Boko Haram and killed many of them.
According to him, the survivors were forced to flee their hideout camps along with their families towards the Mandara Mountains in Gwoza Local Council.
A top military source, in Maiduguri, also stated that the ISWAP, however, intercepted the fleeing terrorists at Yale in Konduga local council and Choliye in Gudumbali Community and killed over 200 of them.
The source added; “ISWAP stormed another hideout in Asinari, Ashanari and Masarmari areas in Konduga on March 1, 2023 and killed scores of the Boko Haram terrorists.”
It explained that the continuous inter-rivalry clashes of the groups, led to the massive surrendering of the militants in Mafa, Konduga and Bama Local Councils of the State.
According to military sources; “The militants surrendered because of the fear that they will be neutralized by either the Super Tucano fighter jets or the ISWAP rival faction terror group,” stating that there was no any hiding place for the all the terrorists in the Lake Chad region and Sambisa Forest.
“So far, we have received 1,250 fighters and their families in a week,” said the source, noting that the number was the highest being received in a short period of time in different parts of the Northeast theatre of war.
Makama, added that the Boko Haram repentant terrorists released about 1, 000 livestock including cattle and confessed that the ISWAP terrorists are after their lives.
The terrorists lamented the killings of their women and children in the Lake Chad region and Forests in Borno and Yobe states.
On the other surrendered people, he said: “Among those who surrendered to the Army, included women who had been enslaved and conscripted of minors born to the insurgents,”
The military sources also said that profiling of the surrendered terrorists is ongoing, after which the repentant terrorists will be handed over to the appropriate agencies for further rehabilitation.
Meanwhile, about 100, 000 fighters and their family members including their captives have left Boko Haram.
It said that this is the largest wave of defections of the Boko Haram terror group.
The Military attributed the massive surrender to the death of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, who blew himself up in May 2021, during a rival clash with ISWAP in Sambisa Forest.
