Black Weekend for Boko Haram as regrouped members gun down in another failed attack

By Ehi Ekhator, Colombo

The Boko Haram members who survived the ill-fated attack on the Giwa Army Barriack on Friday regrouped on the outskirt of Maiduguri for fresh attack on the same military barrack, but met their waterloo for the second time.

The military team who were on a search operation discovered the inusrgents at Kayamla and Alu Dam which led to another clash.

Many of the sect members were killed which placed the death toll to about 80 on the side of the sect on Friday and Saturday.

The sect also lost a massive armoury which troops discovered to contain a large cache of arms and ammunition.

It was discovered that the members of the sect are desperate to jailbreak their strategic commanders who were arrested by men of the force for the fear of revealing vital information during interrogation.

Many members of the group were killed while attempting to flee at different parts of Maiduguri metropolis. Men of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) arrested seven around Lake Chad.

A top officer in the military said that : “What they did was to regroup in Maiduguri to attack our troops because they were desperate to bring down Giwa Army Barracks where some of their commanders and deadly fighters were being detained and interrogated.

“With the latest encounters, the death toll in the encounters with troops at the barracks will be about 80. The Nigeria Police and emergency agencies should be able to give you the toll in different parts of the city because many insurgents were killed while fleeing or retreating.”

Explaining why the sect was targeting Giwa Barracks, the source said: “The Boko Haram leaders would rather want their detained members killed than allow them undergo interrogation which could lead to revelations on their modus operandi.

“No fewer than 20 of their real kingpins or strategic commanders were being kept in the detention facility in Giwa Barracks and they considered it humiliating if they cannot set them free.

“But they are wasting their time because some of these Boko Haram commanders are in underground cells outside Maiduguri. It is an error on their part to think that we will keep their strategists in such a facility.

“Thirdly, Boko Haram leaders are worried that those detained might expose the sponsors or financiers of the sect. That was why they came in hundreds to attack Giwa Barracks.”

The Defence Headquarters in a statement, through its spokesman, Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade confirmed the incident.

He said: “The large quantities of weapons recovered in the raid are still being evacuated from the scene of the night raid where several terrorists died.

“Similar operations took place in coordination with the troops of Multi-National Joint Task Force in the raids in other camps located in the outskirts of Duguri, Polkime, Malafatori and other locations around the fringes of Lake Chad.

“Substantial money in different currencies and denominations were also recovered from the camps. A total of seven terrorists were captured in the operation during which altogether a soldier died while five were wounded.”

The DHQ also said that in a cordon and search by troops for remnants of the terrorists who attacked Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri yesterday (Friday), had an encounter with some of the surviving terrorists in the general area of Kayamla and Alu Dam in the outskirts of Maiduguri this morning.

“More of the terrorists have been killed and arrested in the ongoing encounters. Those captured in the encounter are providing useful information towards the discovery of other hide outs of the daring terrorists.”

More bodies of fleeing terrorists have been discovered along the routes of their escape. Troops morale and fighting spirit have been further boosted by the outcome of the operations so far.

Black Weekend for Boko Haram as regrouped members gun down in another failed attack