A large cache of assorted arms and ammunitions, buried in a burnt church in Borno State by the terrorist group, Boko Haram, have been uncovered and evacuated by troops in their ongoing operations.
This discovery was contained in the operations’ update by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), in Abuja, yesterday, through its Director of Defence Information (DDI), Major General Chris Olukolade.
General Olukolade also disclosed that the Service Chiefs who had been in the North East, were undertaking a
comprehensive air surveillance as well as inspecting the general operations areas and boosting troops morales.
General Olukolade said that the uncovering of the weapons site was made possible by the arrest of a terrorist who claimed to be a Cameroonian and an arms courier for the group.
“The weapons, which have now been recovered by troops include Anti aircraft guns, rocket propelled guns as well as general purpose and other brands of machine guns , were found buried in the premises of one of the churches earlier burnt by terrorists in Kalabalge Local Government Area of Borno State.
“Also recovered from the location were thousands of various calibers of rounds of ammunition and links.
“The middle aged man who led troops on the cordon and search operation towards the recovery was one of the terrorists captured in recent raids.
“He also disclosed that the weapons were stockpiled to be used in a pending attack on some communities around Nigeria- Cameroon border.
“The weapons have all been evacuated while guard locations and patrols are being maintained in the general area and the surrounding localities.
“Meanwhile , troops have continued with various operations assigned to the formations involved in the counter terrorist campaign.
“The caves of a particular mountain captured overnight is undergoing a thorough search for terrorists who are believed to have fled there in the wake of the ongoing offensive on various terrorist enclaves. Arms are also the object of the cordon and search.
“The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Kenneth Minima, has been checking on deployment and troops disposition in various locations of the theatre of the counter terrorism campaign in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
“The army chief who is in company of his Airforce counterpart, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu, also visited troops who were wounded in the course of the operation so far, in the Military Hospital in Maiduguri.
“The Service Chiefs were assured by the commander of the hospital , Brig Gen Okeke that most of the wounded soldiers were in stable conditions. Some who have recovered very well, expressed their desire to rejoin their units and colleagues in the operation.
“The army chief however directed that the hospital should not hesitate to let him know the requirement for any case requiring referral or further treatment any where.
“The service chiefs are also undertaking a comprehensive air surveillance of the entire mission area in addition to the direct inspection of some key locations where operations are being conducted,” he said.
The DDI said that the Chiefs had said that they were satisfied with the state and performance of the deployment so far, noting that substantial expectations of the counterterrorist campaign was being achieved.
Meanwhile, suspected members of Boko Haram have over the weekend reintensified their deadly efforts on the Maiduguri – Damboa-Biu federal highway, killing two passengers by slitting their throats, before setting ablaze all the vehicles including a truck loaded with firewood.
The incident took place yesterday around Mustafanari Village of Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State, when some terrorists who were suspected to have come out from one their camp located in the Sambisa forest ambushed the motorists and the passengers, killing two occupants while several others were lucky to escape into the bush.
Mustafanari is a village located along the troubled road which is about 40 kilometres drive from Maiduguri which had witnessed series of ambush by suspected terrorists on motorists.
