Reports reaching us
inform that the Nigerian troops have stormed the Sambisa Forest and
rescued about 300 women and girls.
According to tweets posted on the Twitter handle of the Nigeria Defence
Headquarters, the freed victims included 200 girls and 93 women.
Daily post reports that three major terrorists camp were destroyed in
the well-coordinated attacks that included the destruction of the
notorious Tokumbere camp in the Sambisa Forest.
Speaking on the operation, the Director of Defence Information, Major
General Chris
Olukolade, said he could not confirm the identity of the
freed victims and their origins and he could not state if any of them
was from Chibok until after thorough screening and proper
investigations.
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Photo - Chibok girls
Abducted Chibok schoolgirls
READ ALSO: One Soldier, Three Vigilantes Die In Sambisa Forest
He said: “I can only confirm the rescued this afternoon of 200 girls and
93 women in different camps in the forest.
“We are yet to determine their origin as all the freed persons are now
being screened and profiled. Please don’t misquote me on their origin.
We will provide more details later.”
According to the Independent UK, the military said in a statement:
“Troops this afternoon rescued 200 girls and 93 women from Sambisa
Forest. We cannot confirm if the Chibok girls are in this group”.
The military added that adding that Nigerian troops had also destroyed
three camps run by the militants.
Last week Friday, it was
reported that the military had attacked the last known hideout of the
Boko Haram terror sect, the Sambisa forest with the use of warplanes.
READ ALSO: Nigerian Military Intensifies Attacks On Sambisa Forest
Meanwhile, Colonel Sani Usman told Reuters in a text message “The troops
rescued 200 abducted girls (not Chibok girls) and 93 women,” .
Earlier today, reports indicated that another set of soldiers may have
arrived Sambisa Forest in Borno State as part of the ongoing military
bombardment on the Boko Haram militants.
Last October the Nigerian government said it had secured an agreement
for a ceasefire and the release of the girls taken from Chibok, but Boko
Haram subsequently denied this.
Boko Haram claimed the abduction of 276 girls from a secondary school in
Chibok, also in Borno, on April 14 of last year.
Fifty-seven girls escaped within hours of the attack but 219 remained in
captivity.
In the weeks following the mass abduction, Nigerian security sources and
locals in Borno said there were indications the girls had been taken to
the Sambisa Forest.
But defence officials and experts agreed that they were likely separated
over the last 13 months, casting significant doubt on the possibility
that they were being held together as a group.
Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, vowed to “marry them off” or sell
them as “slaves.”
The Chibok attack brought unprecedented world attention to the Nigeria’s
Islamist uprising.
Celebrities and prominent personalities including US First Lady Michelle
Obama joined the Twitter campaign #BringBackOurGirls that attracted
supporters worldwide.
But Boko Haram has also been blamed for hundreds of other kidnappings,
especially targeting women and girls across northeast Nigeria.
Read more: https://www.naij.com/429567-boko-haram-rescues-300-girls-from-sambisa-forest.html
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