The Nigerian military authorities said it has reclaimed all territories seized by Boko Haram Terrorists in the country’s North East.
The government further confirmed that military firepower was hitting the insurgents hard forcing the terrorists to seek refuge in the forests and other ungoverned spaces including the Lake Chad area.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa Service, the Theater Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, Major Gen. Christopher Musa, said the superior firepower of the military was unleashed on the insurgents resulting in the death of many of them.
“Periodically, those, who managed to escape the firepower come out from hiding to operate and rush back to their base for refuge. Nevertheless, we are working with the police and other security forces to fish them out and soon we would do that.
“However, we have, before now, extended an olive branch to them, to the insurgents that any one that surrenders willingly, we would accept and enlist them for rehabilitation and reintegration programmes but that would not be same experience for anyone we caught in the cause of our operations,” he said.
He affirmed that the heat of the firepower which led to death of thousands of the terrorists contributed to the increase in the return of abducted Chibok girls and other women and children held in captivity by Boko Haram.
“This year alone, we have rescued nine of the remaining Chibok girls who were abducted on April 14, 2014. What helped us was that in addition to the sustained firepower unleashed on the Boko Haram fighters the rain has also played a significant role so far. It made their place of abode uncomfortable.
“Before now, responses are always slowed down during the rainy season. But we refused to slow down this time. We have invaded their camps and killed as many as we could and that opened the window of opportunity for the women to escape because these women, originally, were not meant to be there, as they were forcefully abducted from their homes and schools and taken to the camps to serve the insurgents,” he said.
