Army denies helping Boko Haram leader escape in Sambisa

The denial is a reaction to media reports that alleged that troops of Operation Deep Punch II, under Operation Lafiya Dole, stopped operations to allow the wanted Shekau escape.

In a statement signed by the Deputy Director Public Relations, Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, the report is a psychological warfare on troops fighting the terrorist group.

Branding the report as "laughable", Colonel Nwachukwu said the claim is mischievous because operations are sometimes halted for a number of reasons.

The statement read, "The attention of Theatre Command, Operation LAFIYA DOLE has been drawn to unfortunate mainstream and social media reports and insinuations that troops advance at the ongoing Operation DEEP PUNCH II was deliberately halted to allow the escape of the purported factional Boko Haram terrorists group leader, Abubakar Shekau in Sambisa forest. This is not true.

"Though the Theatre Command considers this misinformation as very laughable, it is quite disheartening and capable of dampening the morale of troops who are working round the clock to fight the terrorists in north eastern Nigeria. It is therefore expedient to respond to these insinuations.

"Contrary to these mischievous allegations, no such order or directive was given by anybody to any of the units and formations on that operation.

"This spurious allegation is most unfortunate and wake up call for the public to be very wary of agents of destabilization that are determined to thwart our efforts of clearing the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists hibernating in nooks and crannies of Sambisa forest and the Lake Chad islands.

"Contrary to the insinuations being touted and for a better understanding of military operations by the authors of this misinformation, it is crucial to point out, that there are several factors that influence the planning and conduct of military operations, whether kinetic or otherwise.

"The ongoing Operation DEEP PUNCH II, which is aimed at clearing Boko Haram insurgents from the Sambisa forest and the northern fringes of Lake Chad region, was planned to be executed in phases.

"It is a phased operation and therefore requires that at a predetermined point or stage, troops will be halted either preparatory to transiting to another phase or outrightly transiting depending on the threat situation.

"Secondly, during the operations, troops advance could be halted when vehicles or other mobile equipment are bugged down due to the difficulty of the terrain and for recovery purposes.

"More also and very importantly too, in military operations avenues are deliberately provided for troops to habour, where they rest and carry out refitting of weapons and other equipment before resuming the operations.

"Additionally, booby traps and land mines could also compel an advancing troop to halt to enable some specialized squad, scout and assess the situation before movement resumes.

"These and several other factors could precipitate the halting of troops during operations.

"It is therefore very appalling and unimaginable that a fundamental operational procedure could be misinterpreted and be mischievously used as a psychological weapon to indirectly dampen the morale of our troops.

"The Theatre Command is seriously taken aback by this phony publication and considers it a psychological warfare on troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE.

"Consequently, members of the public are please enjoined to discountenance this misinformation as it is untenable and does not reflect the strong character and courageous disposition of troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE."

Army ready to end 'romance' with Shekau

Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major-General Rogers Nicholas, recently declared that the army is ready to put an end to its 'romance' with Shekau.

When questioned over a recent video where Shekau declared that he was ready to die than bear the calamity that has befallen his terrorist group, Maj-Gen Nicholas said the army will do anything to apprehend him.

He said, "That is the statement of somebody who has already been defeated. He has seen what he has never seen before. We've romanced Shekau enough, so enough of the romance. We want him anyhow, dead or alive."

Boko Haram menace

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