A Nigeria Army spokesman has claimed at least 73 Boko Haram militants disguised as herdsmen, were killed yesterday by troops from the 7th Division.
A senior military officer in Maiduguri has also said that a suicide bomber in a Volkswagen Golf was also shot dead before he reached a military location in Konduga.
Credible sources said over 150 militants who took cover behind a herd of cows approached Konduga but were spotted by troops who killed more than half of them while the rest fled. It is believed an invasion of the town in Borno State was thwarted in the attack.
“We strongly believe that most of the fleeing terrorists were killed by the jet in the bush,” the spokesman said. Another army officer said: “The invaders pretended to be herders looking for pasture. Unknown to them, Fulani herders in this part have been adequately briefed to stay clear of identified red spots because of the ongoing operation.
“Therefore, while they were approaching, there was prior information and our troops stayed alert. And when they came closer, they pushed the cows to one side and started firing in vain because our men were ready for them,” he said.
Nigerian troops had in the past six months repelled over 20 attempts by Boko Haram to capture Konduga which is 40 kilometres from Maiduguri. The town is seen as very strategic to Maiduguri as it is a gateway to the state capital from Bama, Gwoza and Sambisa Forest from various directions.
In a related development, Chadian troops yesterday liberated Dikwa town, also in central Borno State, which was occupied by the Boko Haram for months. Credible sources said it took the Chadians over one week to subdue the militants who had established various cells in strategic places in the ancient headquarters of the Kanem Bornu Empire.
“From the exchange of information available to us, the Chadian forces have today finally taken over absolute control of Dikwa,” a security source said. “The emir’s palace, the local government secretariat, central mosque and other vital places have all been recovered after flushing out the terrorists,” he said.
