Nigerian troops rescue women, children from Boko Haram — Official

Nigerian troops deployed in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State have rescued women and children from Boko Haram captivity.

A spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Aminu Iliyasu, said in a statement on Sunday that the victims were rescued after some Boko Haram fighters were subdued in the local government area on Saturday. The victims included four women and four children.

Mr Iliyasu, a colonel, said the children were administered with polio vaccination by a military medical team. An elderly woman in her 80s was amongst those rescued, but it was unclear whether she needed immediate medical care.

No military causality was recorded during the operation, Mr Ilyasu said. Suspected Boko Haram elements fled the local government into the Mandara Mountains with gunshot wounds, he said.

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“The troops’ resilience and doggedness are unwavering as further exploitation to complete annihilation of the insurgents is being sustained in the mountainous environment,” he said.

The victims joined thousands of other Nigerians rescued from Boko Haram captivity in recent years. The insurgents regularly abduct citizens in the war-ravaged northeast for use as recruits, slaves or ransom.

The spokesperson said Nigerian troops would continue to extract credible intelligence on the presence of some of Boko Haram insurgents across the region.

(NAN)