Army kills 150 Boko Haram insurgents •15 soldiers killed

No fewer than 150 Boko Haram insurgent were killed last Thursday, when troops from 7 Division had a fierce battle with the insurgents.
Also, during the encounter that lasted several hours, one officer and 15 soldiers lost their lives.
Confirming the incident, Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Ibrahim, told the Nigerian Tribune that on 12th September, 2013, troops from 81 Battalion under 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, acted on intelligence report gathered that the insurgent had regrouped at Kafiya forest and were planning to launch an attack.
Following the information, the troops launched an attack and destroyed the enemy camp, and during the encounter that lasted several hours, the troops killed 150 insurgents while one Lieutenant and 15 soldiers lost their lives.
 According to the Army spokesman, the enemy camp was well fortified with anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns mounted on vehicles.
The Army spokesman also disclosed that one Abba Goroma, one of the most wanted insurgent was killed in the encounter.
The Federal Government had last year placed a N10million bounty on Goroma for any information leading to his whereabouts.
In a related development, members of the Borno State’s Vigilance Youth Group, popularly called civilian JTF, have arrested 19 Boko Haram terror suspects in five villages of Konduga Local Government Area of the state, on Monday.
Nigerian Tribune learnt that the arrest was carried out after a manhunt of fleeing Boko Haram sect members in Konduga town and neighbouring villages of the council area, at the weekend.
Konduga is 40 kilometres east of Maiduguri, the state capital, where 55 people were killed in August, including eight policemen and soldiers by the insurgents at a place of worship.
Speaking on Tuesday, in Maiduguri, on the arrests, one of the vigilante youths, Abubakar Goni Adam, said that the 19 suspects were pursued to the villages of Konduga and communities bordering the Sambisa Games Reserves Forest.
“The fleeing Boko Haram sect members had been hiding in the forests, but with the destruction of their training camps and hideouts by Special Operational Forces of Nigerian Army in June, the sect members fled to towns and villages bordering the forests.
“Our members had to intervene and act in tracking down these people that attack and kill innocent people in affected areas of the state. With the assistance of soldiers and the police, we are able to arrest 19 suspects along with some rifles and ammunitions in Konduga and other communities bordering the forests at the weekend,” he said.
Borno State Police Commissioner, Lawal Tanko, also confirmed the arrests of the suspects by the vigilante youths in Konduga council area of the state.
He said some rifles and ammunitions were also recovered by youths from the fleeing Boko Haram sect members.
Meanwhile, a combined team of soldiers, police and other security agents had been deployed to Kafanchan in Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State to enforce law and order following an attack in the area on Monday.
Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero of Kaduna State had, on Tuesday, visited the area and called on residents of Kafanchan and Kaduna State in general to remain calm and law abiding over the security breach.
The governor urged the people in the area to shun rumours and any act capable of disrupting peace and order, as security agencies had already commenced investigation into the matter and would  soon apprehend those found culpable.
It was learnt that following alleged silent killings in the area, an armed group launched an attack in the area which disrupted activities and forced residents to remain indoors.
However, no death was recorded in the incidence as soldiers and other security agents were able to repel the attack.
The development had caused tension in the area which prompted Governor Yero to direct the state Bureau of Islamic and Christian Affairs to commence the process of sensitising adherents of the two religions in the area and engage religious leaders on the need to continue to live peacefully.
The governor, according to his Director-General on Media and Public Affairs, Ahmed Maiyaki, had also asked security agencies to provide maximum surveillance in Kafanchan and environs towards ensuring the maintenance of law and order.
He called on the people to cooperate with the security agents deployed in the area by providing them with relevant information that could assist in preventing breach of security and to apprehend miscreants bent on causing tension.
Governor Yero further called on the entire people of Kaduna to always adopt dialogue as the only means of settling disputes, saying the that state government would not fold it’s arms and allow people to take law into their hands.
TRIBUNE