By Joy Baba
The Defence Headquarters in Abuja has said troops on patrol during the weekend dislodged a band of terrorists who were about to attack some settlements in the outskirts of Bama and Ngurosoye.
According to the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Major-Gen Chris Olukolade about 18 terrorists died in the encounter while 16 burnt AK 47 rifles were found in the debris while 5 Pickup vehicles, 7 Gulf cars and one Hilux truck were destroyed.
The statement said a total of 75 villagers were screened and released in the course of cordon and search in the adjoining communities adding that the purported bomb attack on a market in the vicinity as widely reported in the media is however yet to be verified.
According to the statement “troops eventually overran camps in the outskirts of Gombole, Mele, Kecheri, Dufrfada, Yuwe, and others around Mandara mountains and Sambisa forests after stiff resistance.
“Many terrorists died in the encounter, while a soldier lost his life and five others were wounded.
“The Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has also stepped up patrols of the banks of Lake Chad as well as surrounding communities in addition to air surveillance and patrols designed to smoke out the remnants of the terrorists.
“The air raids on some camps sited on Islands have also recorded successes in dislodging the terrorists located there”.
The statement further said cordon and search for the terrorists have been focused on thorough screening of the villagers in surrounding communities noting that many terrorists have been identified and subsequently apprehended by troops in the process.
