New reports from the Defence Headquarters in Nigeria have revealed that a number of people including women, children and the elderly have been rescued and freed after being locked up by terrorists in Gwoza, Borno State.
Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade made this known in a statement that was issued recently.
According to the statement, hostages were rescued after a thorough search and the troops are still in continuing rescue attempts in the area. The released hostages are reportedly being given the necessary medical care, pending the arrival of aid agencies. The victims, whom the statement described as weak, have been reportedly able to provide important information for troops operations in the area.
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The statement also made it known a building which had been converted to a bomb making factory had been uncovered by troops in the course of the ongoing mopping up operations in the town. The facilities therein were reportedly used to manufacture various calibres of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The statement added that these equipment were being evacuated from the building.
The defence spokesman further said in the statement, that “massive” destruction of infrastructure and property including bridges and Emir’s Palace, had been noticeable.
While some troops have been painstakingly making sure that all land mines placed in various parts of the town were removed, some others were in Bama on Monday Morning and recovered a large number of rifles and other arms.
“The terrorists fled when troops were advancing to flush them out of the town recently,” it said, adding that Bama was liberated by troops on March 16.
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The statement by the headquarters also added that troops were dominating the town with aggressive patrols, to defend it against any further terrorists activities.
Gwoza LGA has been called a notorious hide out for the Boko Haram insurgents, who arrived in the area in 2009 from Maiduguri. The area has suffered considerable violence as a result of the Islamist insurgency in Nigeria, and in 2014, saw an influx of Boko Haram fighters fleeing Sambisa Forest.
As of 23 June 2014, reports indicated that the whole of Gwoza was under attack. The report could not be substantiated because most telephone masts in Gwoza and surrounding villages have been vandalized by insurgents.
As of October 19, 2014, an estimated 3,000 Gwoza residents displaced by fighting are “squatting on the fringes of Abuja”, according to a local relief committee spokesman, with “the need for shelter, food, clothing and medicare for the displaced also becoming dire.
