The Nigerian Army
said on Wednesday that its soldiers had arrested 33 suppliers of foodstuffs to
the members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect. The Acting Director, Army Public
Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said in an electronic mail on Wednesday that the
insurgents were arrested around Azir-Wazikoro in the Damboa axis of Borno
State.
Usman
said that the suspects were caught with large quantity of foodstuffs at Korode
during intensive patrol carried out by the troops.
According
to him, nine of the 33 suspects came from Korode, five from Auma, 10 from
Geargube, four from Bulbul and one from Dolomi.
The Punch report continues:
Usman
had also announced on September 8 that troops arrested Boko Haram major
supplier of drugs. Part of the NA spokesman’s statement read, “Intensive
patrols and vigilance of troops have continued to yield positive results with
the arrest of 33 suspected food suppliers to the Boko Haram terrorists in
Damboa axis around Azir-Wajiroko road, Borno State.
“The
33 suspected Boko Haram accomplices were arrested with large quantity of
foodstuffs meant for Boko Haram terrorists at Korode.”
He
added that while the suspects claimed to be traders, they did not deny buying
and selling items to the insurgents and that the Army had commenced
investigation to determine the level of involvement of the suspects with the
deadly sect.
He
said also that the troops had discovered and destroyed some Improvised
Explosive Devices planted at Sadia, along Korode Road, by the insurgents.
The
Army spokesman said the troops also rescued some women and children, who were
abducted by the insurgents at Buduwa general area of the Bama Local Government
Area, which is under Boko Haram control.
Meanwhile,
the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has said that the fighter
pilots of the Nigerian Air Force have been able to weaken and prevent the
insurgents from moving in pick up vehicles to slaughter innocent Nigerians.
Abubakar
said that the insurgents would never be allowed to move freely in convoys to
carry out attacks on innocent citizens and capture military units.
The
Air Chief said this while declaring open the 2015 NAF Standard and Evaluation
Seminar in Abuja on Wednesday. The seminar has the theme, “The Imperatives of
Standards and Evaluation in the Nigerian Air Force.”
He
said that the NAF had been creating a good atmosphere for the ground troops to
carry out their statutory responsibility of protecting the territorial
integrity of the country.
He
said “I wish to use this opportunity to reassure the entire nation that the
Nigerian Air Force remains totally committed to global best practices even in
the present war on insurgency, and will strive to provide the enabling
environment for national development.
“So
far, the Air operations in the North-East are creating the enabling environment
for the Army to move unhindered in the conduct of their operations. We have
substantially degraded the capacity of the terrorists to move freely in
pickups, ravaging villages and murdering innocent citizens.
“God
willing, they will never move freely again to slaughter our citizens or capture
our military units. We will continue to do our utmost best to meet our
statutory responsibility of defending the territorial integrity of the nation,
acting singly or in concert with other security agencies.”
The
Air Chief explained that the seminar was organized to ensure adherence to
standards in line with the operating procedures of the service.
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