Soldiers destroy terrorist bomb making factory in Sambisa

Soldiers of the Nigerian Army under Operation Lafiya Dole fighting terrorist group, Boko Haram, destroyed a bomb making factory in Sambisa Forest with help from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Tuesday, February 6, 2018.

The successful operation was another victory for Operation DEEP PUNCH II which has intensified efforts to deplete the terrorist group.

According to a statement signed by Deputy Director Public Relations, Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, troops recovered 88 Gas Cylinders, 1 Laptop computer, one 100m Ultra High Frequency Hand-held Radio (UHF HH Radio), 1 Motorola GP 180, Theodolite and 2 Global Positioning Systems (GPS).

The statement read, "Land and air components of Operation LAFIYA DOLE have continued to exploit earlier successes made in the conduct of Operation DEEP PUNCH II; an offensive and clearance operation that has in the last four weeks led to severe depletion of Boko Haram terrorists and destruction of several of their enclaves in the fringes of Lake Chad and the Sambisa forest.

"Yesterday Tuesday 6th February 2018, the troops, closely supported by the Nigerian Air Force further exploited deep into the far ends of Camp Zairo and aggressively carried out an offensive against Boko Haram terrorists defending a major Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making factory.

"The gallant troops successfully engaged the insurgents, demobilized their vehicle borne IEDs and neutralized quite a number of the terrorists, as well as capturing the IED making factory.

"The troops have also recovered 88 Gas Cylinders, 1 Laptop computer, one 100m Ultra High Frequency Hand-held Radio (UHF HH Radio), 1 Motorola GP 180, Theodolite and 2 Global Positioning Systems (GPS). The troops also destroyed 22 Motorcycles, 18 Bicycles and provisions store.

"It is gratifying to note that buoyed by these unprecedented success, troops morale remain high and are unrelenting in ensuring the imminent and total clearance of the remaining Boko Haram terrorists."

Boko Haram 'defeated'

This operation comes just days after the Nigerian Army boasted that Boko Haram has been completely defeated.

While speaking in Maiduguri on Saturday, February 3, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major-General Rogers Nicholas, said troops have successfully "broken the heart and soul of Shekau's group".

He said, "My soldiers are in the heart of Boko Haram enclave that is Camp Zairo. The gallant troops have taken total control of Sambisa forest.

"They are on the run and we are pursuing them to wherever they go. This time around there is no place for escape anywhere.

"We had earlier asked those of them that want to surrender to do so and we are still asking them to come out and surrender otherwise they are going to meet it the hard way."

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Boko Haram menace

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