By Chimezie Godfrey
The troops of Operation Fire Ball under Operation Lafiya Dole have eliminated more terrorists and recovered arms and ammunition in Borno state.
Brig. Gen. Benard Onyeuko the Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Defence Headquarters Abuja, revealed this on Tuesday.
Onyeuko stressed that the dogged troops of Operation Fire Ball have continued to exhibit their tactical superiority against remnants of Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West Africa Province criminals within the Theatre of operation.
He said,”Sequel to this, on 6 December 2020, following actionable intelligence on Boko Haram criminals activities, troops of 222 Battalion in conjunction with elements of Borno State Civilian Joint Task Force conducted an aggressive fighting patrol to the general area of Margumari village.
“The highly motivated troops made contact and immediately engaged some marauding Boko Haram criminals lurking in the area.
“During the brief but decisive encounter, 4 Boko Haram criminals were neutralized while one FN Rifle, one AK 47 Rifle, 2 FN Rifle magazines and 4 AK 47 Rifle magazines were captured from the fleeing criminals.
“Additionally, 29 Rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, 39 Rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition, 2 Motorcycles, Motorcycle repair tools and one Tecno phone were also captured.”
Onyeuko disclosed that earlier, on 5 December 2020, troops of 144 Battalion conducted a robust clearance patrol to Yafa, Kirchinga and Shuwarin general areas.
He said that the troops made contact and engaged the criminals at Yafa.
According to him, in the ensuing gun battle, one Boko Haram criminal was neutralized while several others are believed to have escaped with gunshot wounds.
Onyeuko commended the troops of Operation Fire Ball under Operation Lafiya Dole for their continued dedication and determination in flushing the remnants of the terrorists in their hideouts.
He also encouraged them not to relent but build on the successes recorded so far.
Onyeuko assured the entire populace of the North East region the Nigerian military high command determination to finally rout the remnants of Boko Haram/Islamic State’s West Africa Province criminals from their enclaves in this zone.
He also encouraged them to avail the troops with credible information that will help in the execution of the operation.
