I eliminated 5 Boko Haram commanders, 70 other terrorists under my watch – former theater commander
Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
The former theatre commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Ibrahim Attahiru, lists achievements recorded under him
He said that the combined efforts of land and air components denied the Boko Haram insurgents liberty to carry out attacks
However, despite the former commander’s assertions, terrorist attacks appear to have increased under his watch
The former theatre commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Ibrahim Attahiru, has disclosed that the army operations under his watch eliminated five top Boko Haram leaders and 70 other terrorists during various confrontations.
He said that operational support provided to troops of Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) during Operation RAWAN KADA in June 2017 led to the killing of over 70 Boko Haram terrorists and the capture of assorted automatic weapons.
The major general said this on Monday, December 11 while he handed over the leadership to a new commander, Rogers Nicholas, in Borno state, PremiumTimes reports.
Attahiru took over the command of the anti-boko haram operations in the northeast in May 2017 and was removed as the commander of the operation on Wednesday, December 6.
It was gathered that despite Attahiru’s claims of defeating the terrorists, there have been increased terrorist attacks since he took over the operation.
Attahiru said: “I must say that since I assumed duty as the Theatre Commander Operation Lafiya Dole on May 30 2017, it has been very eventful operationally and administratively, particularly coming at a time when Boko Haram Terrorists, BHT, who, having been technically defeated and could no longer conduct sustained operations against own troops, resorted largely to engaging in terrorism related activities.
“I carried out a quick evaluation of the operational situation of the theatre, resulting in the crucial decision to swiftly conduct the clearance operations that neutralised identified immediate threats posed by remnants of Boko Haram terrorists who were still seeking refuge in some remote areas within the Theatre, particularly in the fringes of the northeastern international borders.”
He further stated that the combination of land and air components denied the Boko Haram insurgents liberty to carry out attacks.
He said: “This evaluation, also identified the need for each of the three sectors in the Theatre of operation to immediately establish Fire Support Coordination Cell (FSCC), which were employed continuously to degrade the Boko Haram terrorists in their enclaves and staging areas.
“These FSCC carried out artillery and aerial bombardments in conjunction with the Air Component of Operation Lafiya Dole on isolated BHT enclaves killing several Boko Haram terrorists and destroying their logistic base.
“Another upshot of the evaluation is the creation of dugouts along BHT crossing points to deny the group freedom of action and stem the conduct of their nefarious activities.”
Attahiru also said that “Operation Deep Punch 2” which he led in the northeast eliminated several Boko Haram members.
He said: “The period also witnessed the Operation DEEP PUNCH 2 which orchestrated series of precursor operations, including clearance operations, long range fighting patrols, ambushes, blocking operations as well as cordon and search operations.
“Suffice to note that during the operations, five high profile Boko Haram commanders and many foot soldiers were killed, while many other members of the group surrendered owing to the effectiveness of the operations.”
It was previously reported that the newly-posted theater commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Nicholas, has warned Boko Haram insurgents to surrender their arms.
He said that the call was imperative to encourage remnants of the Boko Haram insurgents to surrender in order to end insurgency and guarantee lasting peace in the region.
“We have determined and courageous soldiers to crush the terrorists and bring peace to the northeast. I call on the insurgents in the bush to surrender to the Nigerian Government and embrace peace,” he said.
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