Army vows to recapture terrorist commander released in 2017

The Nigerian Army has promised to recapture Boko Haram commander, Shuibu Moni, who was released last year in a prisoner swap for some of the schoolgirls abducted in Chibok in 2014.

According to a report by CNN, an Army official said troops will soon recapture Moni after he recently taunted the government over the numerous claims that the terrorist group has been defeated and rooted out of Sambisa Forest that has served as its base of operation since its insurgency escalated in 2009.

He said, "He was captured before; he can be captured again. The troops that captured him are still in the northeast, and they will get him."

In the recent video that Moni appeared in, he said the terrorist group remains undefeated and still has a stronghold inside the expansive Sambisa Forest.

Speaking in Hausa and Arabic, he said, "They are spreading fake news around that they collected Sambisa and instructed people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states (that they) should watch out for us.

"It is a lie. Where is this place we are in? Is it not Sambisa Forest? Just wait and see soon what will happen."

Buhari released 5 Boko Haram commanders for Chibok girls

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the sum of €1 million for the release of 21 kidnapped Chibok Girls in October 2016, before approving another €2 million for the release of a further 82 girls in May 2017. Five Boko Haram commanders, including Moni, were also part of the second exchange.

Boko Haram invaded Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok and kidnapped 276 female students in April 2014.

After several escapes and releases, 112 of the girls remain in captivity of the deadly terrorist group.

Boko Haram menace

Since the insurgency of the terrorist group escalated after a 2009 crackdown by the military, Boko Haram, chiefly under Abubakar Shekau's leadership, has been responsible for the death of over 20,000 people and the displacement of more than 2.5 million scattered across Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps across the country and its neighbours.

After a massive military operation resulted in the displacement of the group from its Camp Zairo base in the infamous Sambisa Forest, it has resorted to suicide bomb attacks on soft targets and carried out daring attacks on military bases, with hundreds of captives still unaccounted for.