Troops destroy terrorist group's training camp in Borno

Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole raided a training camp used by terrorist group, Boko Haram, to train fighters and destroyed it on Sunday, April 22, 2018.

In a statement signed by the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Operation Lafiya Dole, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, one terrorist was killed while a hostage was rescued from the camp in Afa general area, Borno state.

The statement read, "Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole deployed at a forward operational base in Benisheikh, have uncovered a Boko Haram training camp where instructional training was provided to its foot soldiers.

"The camp, located in a hideout in Afa general area, was discovered on Sunday at about 9:30am following a tip-off that insurgents were being trained in the hideout.

"During the operation, troops encountered elements of Boko Haram insurgents who were withdrawing hastily from the camp. In the shootout, troops killed one insurgent, recovered one Dane gun and rescued one Malam Abba, who was held hostage in the camp by the insurgents."

Boko Haram menace

Since the insurgency of the terrorist group escalated after a 2009 crackdown by the military, Boko Haram, chiefly under Abubakar Shekau'sleadership, 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.