The Multinational Joint Task Force in Lake Chad, has said six Boko Haram terrorists have recently surrendered.
The Public Information Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Abubakar Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
He noted that they surrendered between April 17th and 27th in both Nigerian and Cameroonian territories bordering the lake.
The statement partly read, “On April 17, 2024, a 19-year-old Boko Haram terrorist named Alhaji Ali surrendered to troops of 403 Amphibious Brigade (Baga) of Sector 3 in Monguno, Nigeria.
“Initial investigations reveal a 3-year affiliation with Boko Haram’s Buduma faction. Ali, hailing from Masarram on Lake Chad Island and residing at Duguri, highlighted the growing discontentment within the group.”
This was followed by the surrender of Haoudou Sedik, 37, and Kadja Ousman, 21, on April 25 in Cameroon, after which a family surrendered the next day.
The statement added, “The surrenders continued on April 26, when Mohammed Abdulraman, 38, his wife Sadiya, and their two children (aged 13 and an infant), bearing one 36 Hand Grenade, surrendered to Sector 3’s 403 Amphibious Brigade at the Kwatam Turare axis, Baga, Nigeria.
Abdulraman, identified as a foot soldier since 2017 in Sharama, cited internal crisis and the influence of MNJTF’s Operation Nashrul Salam as reasons for their defection.”
A 25-year-old Yusuf Umaru was also reported to have surrendered to the troops on April 27 in Borno State.
“Umaru revealed that he had been abducted by Boko Haram militants along the Monguno-Maiduguri road in 2020. He stated that during his captivity, he was forced to work as a storeroom keeper in one of the terrorist group’s camps located on the islands of Lake Chad,” the statement added.
According to report in March the Defence Headquarters in Abuja disclosed that no fewer than 974 terrorists were killed across the country, while 1,157 Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists surrendered to the military in February.
