Armed militants did not surrender to us, JTF, police say

No armed militant voluntarily surrendered to security operatives in Mubi, Adamawa State, the police and the Joint Task Force, JTF, have said.

The JTF spokesman, John Nwaogu, a Brigadier General, denied any surrender in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES. Mr. Nwaogu said the task force, during its search operations in Mubi, arrested several militants.

“Based on intelligence report, a combined team of the JTF isolated the area, cordoned it and made sure that innocent and law abiding citizens were not hurt” he said.

He denied media reports that 40 suspected members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect voluntarily surrendered to the force saying “nothing like that happened.”

The police spokesman in Adamawa, Mohammed Ibrahim, also denied such surrender saying it was up to the media to make its judgement between arrest and voluntary surrender.

Declining to speak further when pressed, in Yola, Mr. Ibrahim said 156 suspected militants were arrested in a joint operation by security forces in Mubi.

Mr. Ibrahim disclosed that a rocket propelled grenade was among the cache of arms recovered from the dreaded militants, in a crackdown on the group which commenced since Monday. Other items recovered from the raid, code named “Operation Restore Sanity,” are improved explosive device, chemicals, over 500 dagger knives, nine AK47 assault rifles, locally made pistols, and rocket launchers.

The Adamawa State Government had declared a 24-hopur curfew in Mubi since Sunday to allow the security operatives carry out house to house search operations for “terrorists.” The curfew was relaxed on Thursday with Mubi residents now free to move from 6.00a.m. to 3.00p.m.