NIGERIA:Troops arrest 33 Boko Haram’s food suppliers

The Nigerian Army said on Wednesday that its soldiers had arrested 33 suppliers of foodstuffs to the members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect.

The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said in an electronic mail on Wednesday that the insurgents were arrested around Azir-Wazikoro in the Damboa axis of Borno State.

Usman said that the suspects were caught with large quantity of foodstuffs at Korode during intensive patrol carried out by the troops.

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According to him, nine of the 33 suspects came from Korode, five from Auma, 10 from Geargube, four from Bulbul and one from Dolomi.

Usman had also announced on September 8 that troops arrested Boko Haram major supplier of drugs.

Part of the NA spokesman’s statement read, “Intensive patrols and vigilance of troops have continued to yield positive results with the arrest of 33 suspected food suppliers to the Boko Haram terrorists in Damboa axis around Azir-Wajiroko road, Borno State.

“The 33 suspected Boko Haram accomplices were arrested with large quantity of foodstuffs meant for Boko Haram terrorists at Korode.”

He added that while the suspects claimed to be traders, they did not deny buying and selling items to the insurgents and that the Army had commenced investigation to determine the level of involvement of the suspects with the deadly sect.

He said also that the troops had discovered and destroyed some Improvised Explosive Devices planted at Sadia, along Korode Road, by the insurgents.

The Army spokesman said the troops also rescued some women and children, who were abducted by the insurgents at Buduwa general area of the Bama Local Government Area, which is under Boko Haram control.

Meanwhile, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has said that the fighter pilots of the Nigerian Air Force have been able to weaken and prevent the insurgents from moving in pick up vehicles to slaughter innocent Nigerians.

Abubakar said that the insurgents would never be allowed to move freely in convoys to carry out attacks on innocent citizens and capture military units.

The Air Chief said this while declaring open the 2015 NAF Standard and Evaluation Seminar in Abuja on Wednesday. The seminar has the theme, “The Imperatives of Standards and Evaluation in the Nigerian Air Force.”

He said that the NAF had been creating a good atmosphere for the ground troops to carry out their statutory responsibility of protecting the territorial integrity of the country.

He said “I wish to use this opportunity to reassure the entire nation that the Nigerian Air Force remains totally committed to global best practices even in the present war on insurgency, and will strive to provide the enabling environment for national development.

“So far, the Air operations in the North-East are creating the enabling environment for the Army to move unhindered in the conduct of their operations. We have substantially degraded the capacity of the terrorists to move freely in pickups, ravaging villages and murdering innocent citizens.

“God willing, they will never move freely again to slaughter our citizens or capture our military units. We will continue to do our utmost best to meet our statutory responsibility of defending the territorial integrity of the nation, acting singly or in concert with other security agencies.”

The Air Chief explained that the seminar was organised to ensure adherence to standards in line with the operating procedures of the service.