By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
As the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) progresses with Operation Lake Sanity 2, Boko Haram hideouts in the Lake Chad Region, spanning Cameroon and Nigeria, are seeing an increase in surrenders. Recently, 6 additional terrorists have surrender, laying down their arms from 17 to 27 April 2024.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Chief Military Public Information Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Abubakar Abdullahi, made available on April 29, 2024.
It said that on April 17, 2024, a 19-year-old Boko Haram terrorist named Alhaji Ali surrendered to troops of 403 Amphibious Brigade (Baga) of Sector 3 in Monguno, Nigeria. Initial investigations reveal a three-year affiliation with Boko Haram’s Buduma faction. Ali, hailing from Masarram on Lake Chad Island and residing at Duguri, highlighted the growing discontentment within the group.
Furthermore, on 25 April 2024, 2 more terrorists, Haoudou Sedik, 37, and Kadja Ousman, 21, turned themselves in at Blangua, Cameroon, to troops of Sector 1 in the Darak area of southern Lake Chad. Investigations reveal their origins from Chad, residing in the localities of Kami-Wari and Kourea, respectively.
The surrenders continued on 26 April, when Mohammed Abdulraman, 38, his wife Sadiya, and their two children (aged 13 and an infant), bearing one 36 Hand Grenade, surrendered to Sector 3’s 403 Amphibious Brigade at the Kwatam Turare axis, Baga, Nigeria. Abdulraman, identified as a foot soldier since 2017 in Sharama, cited internal crisis and the influence of MNJTF’s Operation Nashrul Salam as reasons for their defection.
Likewise, on 27 April 2024, Yusuf Umaru, a 25-year-old, surrendered to the troops of 19 Brigade, Sector 3, in Kekeno, within the Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria. During the initial investigation, Umaru revealed that he had been abducted by Boko Haram militants along the Monguno-Maiduguri road in 2020. He stated that during his captivity, he was forced to work as a storeroom keeper in one of the terrorist group’s camps located on the islands of Lake Chad.
The MNJTF calls upon other Boko Haram terrorists hiding in the Lake Chad islands and adjoining communities to cease hostilities and embrace peace. We reiterate our commitment to restoring lasting peace and stability to the Lake Chad Basin, encouraging terrorists to follow the path of those who have already surrendered.
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