Army destroys bomb making workshop

The Nigerian military on Saturday said it killed 10 insurgents and destroyed a bomb manufacturing factory near the country’s border with Cameroon.

The Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Sani Usman, made this known in statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr. Sani, a colonel, said the military made tremendous gains in the various sectors in the ongoing fight against terrorism and insurgency in the northeast.

According to him, troops from the 121 Task Force Battalion moved through key villages along the border and linked up with the Cameroonian forces.

The villages included Mararraba, Angwan Fada Dale, Wizha, Bokko Timit, Bokko Nasanu, Bokko Hide, up to Ngoshe.

During the operations, Mr. Usman said Boko Haram hideouts in the area were cleared.

“In the process, the troops killed 10 Boko Haram terrorists and also rescued 45 persons which included 17 women and 28 children,” the army spokesperson said.

“The troops also discovered that the terrorists cratered the road linking Pulka, Mararraba and Ngoshe and safely detonated 5 IEDs buried by the terrorists.

“In addition, they also destroyed an IED manufacturing workshop in the village. They also cleared Sino village.”

Besides, he said the Cameroonian forces knocked out gun trucks belonging to the insurgents, raided and cleared several IED making factories along the border towns.

On a sad note, the military reported that a patrol team from 5 Brigade, traversing Dogon Gida and New Marte stepped on an undetected IED buried by suspected terrorists.

Four soldiers suffered various degrees of injuries and their vehicle badly damaged.

Mr. Usman said the wounded soldiers were evacuated by Nigerian Air Force, while the affected team was reinforced to continue with the patrol of the area.

In another flank, he said troops from the 25 and 26 Task Force Brigades, in conjunction with Cameroonian forces, carried out clearance operation against the insurgents around Ngoshe village.

While the Cameroonian troops carried out the clearance, their Nigerian counterparts provided blocking forces at strategic points where they decisively dealt with terrorists that tried to escape, Mr Usman said.