The Nigerian Army stated on Wednesday that a
sizeable number of the 39 soldiers declared missing after last week suspected
Boko Haram insurgents’ attack in the border town of Gashigar in Borno, had
returned.
Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor, the Theater Commander of
Operation Lafiya Dole, stated this while briefing newsmen in Maiduguri.
“It is true that about 39 soldiers were declared
missing.
”I want to inform you that a sizeable number of
our soldiers had returned to base,” Irabor said.
He, however, admitted that a few soldiers were
yet to be found.
“I think it is only a handful that have not been
found,” Irabor said declining to state their exact number.
He said that the military was engaged in an
ongoing operation to uproot the terrorists from the area.
“Operations are ongoing in the area.
” I think that we will give you the details in
due course,” He said.
He also said that the military was focused on
rescuing the remaining Chibok girls from the Boko Haram terrorists in spite of
the release of the 21 girls by the insurgents.
“We have a task before us that anyone held by the
Boko Haram terrorists must be rescued.
”We will do everything possible to rescue them”
Irabor said.
He said that the military had recorded progress
in its quest to apprehend collaborators of the Boko Haram terrorists in the
North-East.
“So far, we have arrested 30 suspects in
connection with the crime of collaborating with the terrorists.
” We have four soldiers, two policemen,
vigilantes and other civilians,” Irabor said.
He said that the suspects were undergoing
interrogation to determine their level of involvement in the crime.
Irabor, however, declined to give their identities.
“For some reasons we cannot give out their names
for now.
“But we will do that at the end of the
investigation,” he said.
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