No fewer than 79,000 insurgents comprising combatants and non-combatants have so far surrendered to the Nigerian military, according to the Theatre Commander, North East “Operation Hadin Kai”, Maj Gen Christopher Musa.
Briefing newsmen on recent command successes in Maiduguri, the military commander noted that the sustained onslaughts on the insurgents under the kinetic and non-kenetic approaches had led to their mass surrender.
Musa also stressed the need to have additional camps in Maiduguri to host the repentant terrorists that were being sorted out to identify the combatants and non-combatants.
The commander applauded the support from the public, whom he described as “unsung heroes” and urged them to sustain the tempo for a speedy end to the conflict.
“We are really happy with the way the members of the public were cooperating with us; they see the sincerity in what we are doing.
“We are committed to the human rights charter and the rules of engagement in our operations,” Musa said.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Maiduguri, Maj.- Gen. Waidi Shuaibu, while speaking on recent success, said that within the period under review, three more Chibok girls were also rescued.
He explained that the girls rescued comprised Falmata Lawan, Asabe Ali, and Jinkal Yama, who are on serial number 3, 12 and 20, respectively on the list of abducted Chibok girls.
“The girls were rescued separately in the Bama axis on August 30, September 1, and September 2 respectively,” he said.