from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
Nigeria Bureau
ABUJA, (CAJ News) – THE Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) reports that 69 Boko Haram terrorists have surrendered in Cameroon and Niger.
A spokesperson of the regional troops said they had surrendered between July 1 and 6.
Their surrender follows the rollout of Operation Lake Sanity 2. It focuses on the Lake Chad region.
In Cameroon, a combined maritime operation by Cameroonian and Nigerian forces led to the surrender of 56 Boko Haram terrorists. This group included 13 adult men accompanied by 43 women and children.
Additionally, 12 family members of terrorists, including five women and seven children, were rescued.
Lieutenant Colonel Abubakar Abdullahi, MNJTF Chief Military Public Information Officer, said in Niger, troops received 24-year-old Tijjani Muhammad, who had escaped from a Boko Haram camp.
Abdullahi said the increasing number of surrenders significantly weakened the operational capability of Boko Haram and undermined the morale of their remaining fighters.
“Other terrorists are strongly urged to take advantage of the opportunity to lay down their arms and surrender to the authorities for lasting peace in the Lake Chad basin region,” he said.
Since 2009, Boko Haram has perpetrated a violent campaign to establish an Islamic State in northeast Nigeria.
The insurgency has spread to neighbouring countries.
Established in 1994, MNJTF is a combined multinational formation, comprising units, mostly military, from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.
– CAJ News