Terrorists may have used Chibok girls as shield during attacks - Army

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December 29, 2016 5:10 PM

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau appeared in a new video at an undisclosed location on December 29, 2016

The Nigerian Army has revealed that fleeing Boko Haram members might have used some kidnapped Chibok girls as human shields to avoid being fired upon by fighter jets during the attack on Sambisa Forest.

Maj. Gen. Lucky Irabor, the Theatre Commander of the military campaign, Operation Lafiya Dole, while displaying to newsmen aerial footage showed terrorists fleeing with women and children.

“The haggard fighters were just using them as a shield,” Irabor commented at a news conference in Maiduguri.

“That is why we did not engage them from the air. We had always believed and hoped that going into the Sambisa Forest would afford us the opportunity to get the remaining Chibok girls. What we can’t tell is whether those women we can see were the Chibok girls,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Army has been showered praises both locally and internationally for dismantling the final stronghold of Boko Haram in the infamous Sambisa forest. However, Nigerians still await the return of the remaining Chibok girls in the custody.

Written by Victor Agboga

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