Military kills Shekarau’s wife, 11 terrorists
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Military kills Shekarau’s wife, 11 terrorists
…As Shettima urges troops to clear 3 LGAs of insurgents
AHMED MARI, Maiduguri with agency report



The wife of Boko Haram leader, Malama Fitdasi Shekau, may have been killed in recent successful airstrikes on Durwawa settlement on the outskirts of Urga, near Konduga in Bornu State by the Nigerian Air Force, NAF.

Also, the Nigerian Army said its troops attached to Operation Lafiya Dole under the army’s 3rd Battalion, 22 Brigade have killed 11 terrorists and rescued 85 hostages in its ongoing daily clearance of the remnants of Boko Haram in the North East.Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. Adesanya said Fitdasi was reported to have been representing her husband in a coordinating meeting with other insurgents at the location of the airstrikes.

He said NAF had carried out aerial attacks on large number of insurgents at Durwawa on October 19.“Battle Damage Assessment had indeed revealed that the aerial attack set off a fire, causing damage to the insurgents’ structures within the settlement. The airstrike also succeeded in neutralising most of the insurgents with a few of them fleeing the location,” he said. Adesanya said that efforts were ongoing to confirm the reported killing of Shekau’s wife, alongside other insurgents.Meanwhile the operation carried out on Tuesday by the army ended with the rescue of the hostages at Mogola, Ngaiwa, Tongule and Warsele villages in Borno state.

But Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state on Wednesday urged the military personnel to redouble their efforts in clearing the remnants of Boko Haram insurgents who are still occupying some communities in Guzamala, Abadam and Marte Local Government Areas in Borno North Senatorial District to enable thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) return to their communities. Shettima who made the call when he paid a courtesy call on the Brigade Commander/Sector 3 of Multi National Joint Task Force, MNJTF, Brigadier General O.O. Soyele and his troops at their headquarters in Baga town said “Some of the IDPs are still taking refuge in Niger Republic, Chad and other resettlement areas in the country”.

However a statement signed by Sani Usman, army spokesman said the operation which was successful in achieving its objectives was supported by the Nigerian Air Force alongside some civilian JTF.“Earlier today, the unit in conjunction with gallant 22 Mobile Strike Team accompanied by some Civilian JTF, based on credible information carried out offensive operations at suspected Boko Haram terrorists hideouts at Mogola, Ngaiwa, Tongule and Warsele villages in Ngala Local Government Area of Borno State”, Usman said.

Brigadier general Usman said that the troops discovered and destroyed Boko Haram terrorists’ logistics base and workshop at Ngaiwa.
“The gallant troops neutralised 11 Boko Haram terrorists”, he added.Weapons reportedly recovered from the raid are: one gun truck, four already prepared suicide vests, various IED making materials, three dane guns, one Barretta pistol and 22 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition. Five motorcycles, 13 bicycles and a wheelbarrow were also recovered from the terrorists den.

Similarly, Shettima frowned at the current situation where thousands of IDPs whose communities are still under Boko Haram occupation but willing to go back home cannot do so due to pockets of attacks.He said the situation had forced many IDPs into professional beggars and depend on food and other relief items from United Nations and other humanitarian donor agencies for survival, insisting that, it was not in the culture and tradition of Borno people to beg for alms. Baga town is commercial located on the fringes of Lake Chad Basin and the largest producer of fish in the country. It was formerly occupied by Boko Haram who with massacred over 300 residents and fishermen and destroyed over 2000 houses on 16th April, 2013, before it was later liberated by military in 2015.

Shettima while addressing officers and men of the MNJTF said, he was on a two- day official tour of six Local Government Areas of Magumeri, Nganzai, Guzamala, Marte, Monguno and Kukawa to flag off the distribution of 11,000 bags of massavita, rice, soya beans, sorghum and other relief items to households and IDPs under the Federal Government Emergency Food Intervention in the North East.
He said, “We are in your area of responsibility to see our people especially thousands of the IDPs who are in dare need of food and other incentives. We as government had started rebuilding all destroyed public and private infrastructures. We are building new General Hospitals in Baga and Gajiram town, in addition to over 20 Model Primary and Secondary Schools in Monguno, Gajiram, Kukawa and other Local Government Areas across the state.”

“We are rebuilding houses of our people that were completely razed down by activities of insurgents; including business centers/shopping complexes and places of worship. It is interesting to know that most of these projects being handled by Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, RRR have been completed while others at various stages of completion”, he added.”We have also commissioned a lot of completed projects such as school classroom blocks, shopping complexes, mosques, residential houses, government lodges and other public buildings that were destroyed by the insurgents. I am highly impressed with troops performance in this part of the country, and I want to appeal to the military here to intensify efforts in clearing remnants of Boko Haram in Abadam, Gudumbali and other communities for their people who are displaced go back and pick up their pieces”.

“As government, I assured you of our unflinching support in the fight against insurgency and other criminals terrorizing our territories. Staying in this inhospitable area with risks involved is highly shocking, but commendable. I promise to be coming to this area on monthly basis for the period of six months to see how we can partner together, degrade Boko Haram and restore dignity of our people”. Shettima said. Briefing the governor on the activities of the command, Brigadier General Soyele said the security situation in Baga and other parts of area of responsibility is calm, though unpredictable. He admitted that there were pockets of attacks by insurgents in communities of Doro Duguri, where five fishermen were killed recently.

He explained that even in some surrounding communities of Doron Baga, Ali Sheriffti, Tumbun Jaki, other highlands/islands and riverine areas around the Lake Chad Region, where relative peace has returned, there were renewed attacks by insurgents, adding that the ongoing ‘Riverine Clearance Operations’ by troops under his command, with support by fishermen and other locals, pockets of Boko Haram attacks will soon be a history. His said “We have some challenges regarding our operations, but I assure the people of this region, that very soon, we will all sleep with our eyes closed. We have been receiving full support from the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, particularly on the ongoing operations and the free medical outreach to people.”

“The challenges have to do with the nature of some riverine/ highland areas, where these Boko Haram took advantages to perpetrate their evil acts, but with support from the Chief of Army Staff in collaboration with Nigerian Navy, Civilian JTF, fishermen, locals and government at all levels, these challenges will be surmounted soon”, he said.He therefore thanked the governor for the visit and the state government’s support to the military in the fight against Boko Hara. Meanwhile, two persons were reported killed Tuesday night during an attack in Jol, a village in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.The chairman of the transition committee of the local government, Emmanuel Jugul, disclosed this to PREMIUM TIMES in an interview on Wednesday.

He said two other people were injured in the attack and are in hospital.“Four people were yesterday (Tuesday) night attacked in Jol, two died, the other two persons were badly injured,” he said in Jos. According to Jugul, the attack came a day after the corpse of a herdsman earlier declared missing was discovered in the area.“It is unfortunate that we are recording incidents of attacks again in Riyom Local Government. Two days ago, the corpse of a Fulani boy that had been missing since last week was found by a search party we organized.” He said the incident of the missing Fulani man was reported to the Special Taskforce on Jos crisis.

The Riyom transition committee chairman had made several appeal for peace to residents of the area. About 44 persons were reported killed in communal clashes in two local government areas of the state within September. President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the Plateau attacks and mandated security agencies to forestall such incidents.