No fewer than six (6) Boko Haram terrorists have surrendered to troops of Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in the Lake Chad region.
A statement by the Chief Military Public Information Officer, Lt-Col. Abdullahi Abubakar said the terrorists laid down arms between 17 -27 April 2024 following offensives of Operation Lake Sanity 2, in the Lake Chad Regions panning Cameroon and Nigeria.
Abubakar said a 19-year-old Boko Haram terrorist, Alhaji Ali surrendered to troops of 403 Amphibious Brigade (Baga) of Sector 3 in Monguno, Nigeria on 17 April 2024.
Military investigation revealed that that the surrended Boko Haram fighter had 3-year affiliation with the Buduma faction of the dreaded sect.
Lt-Col. Abubakar said Ali hails from Masarram on Lake Chad Island and residing at Duguri and had operated with the group before growing discontentment within the group.
Furthermore, on 25 April 2024, two more terrorists, Haoudou Sedik, 37, and Kadja Ousman, 21, surrendered to troops of Sector 1 at Blangua, Cameroon, in the Darak area of southern Lake Chad.
Investigations revealed they are of Chad origin, residing in the localities of Kami-Wari and Kourea, respectively.
Again on 26 April, Mohammed Abdulraman, 38, his wife Sadiya, and their two children (aged 13 and an infant), bearing one 36 Hand Grenade, surrendered to troops of 403 Amphibious Brigade Sector 3 at the Kwatam Turare axis, Baga, Nigeria.
“Abdulraman, identified as a foot soldier since 2017 in Sharama, cited internal crisis and the influence of MNJTF’s Operation Nashrul Salam as reasons for their defection,” Lt-Col. Abubakar said.
Relatedly, on 27 April 2024, Yusuf Umaru, a 25-year-old terrorist, surrendered to the troops of 19 Brigade, Sector 3, in Kekeno, within the Kukawa local government area of Borno State.
Umaru revealed during investigation, that he was abducted by Boko Haram militants along the Monguno-Maiduguri road in 2020.
He added that during his captivity, he was forced to work as a store room keeper in one of the terrorist group’s camps located on the islands of Lake Chad.
The MNJTF therefore called on other Boko Haram terrorists hiding in the Lake Chad islands and adjoining communities to cease hostilities and embrace peace.The JTF reiterated its commitment to restoring lasting peace and stability to the Lake Chad Basin while encouraging the remaining terrorists to follow the path of those who have already surrendered.
