Troops foil terrorists’ infiltration, evacuate students after intelligence alert in Borno

TROOPS of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have foiled an attempted terrorist infiltration of a military base and evacuated 21 female students to safety, following intelligence on a planned attack in Borno State.

A latest operational report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Monday, said troops also apprehended a suspected cross-border kidnapper operating between Nigeria and Cameroon.

The report said troops of the 3 Battalion at Forward Operating Base Logomani detected ISWAP/JAS terrorists attempting to encircle their position through CCTV surveillance.

The troops engaged the terrorists, forcing them to withdraw before executing the planned infiltration.

Troops of Sector 3 responded to intelligence indicating that seven suspected ISWAP/JAS terrorists carrying improvised explosive devices were sighted near the Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno.

The report said the troops immediately evacuated 21 female students lodging nearby to Kinnasara Barracks.

“Three students who suffered seizures during the evacuation were stabilised at a hospital, while security around the area was reinforced,” the report said.

In another operation, troops of 115 Task Force Battalion and local hunters engaged terrorists at Surajo village in Askira Uba Local Government Area of the state.

According to the report, the terrorists fled, abandoning three bicycles and two coolers.

It also disclosed that troops of 247 Reconnaissance Battalion and hunters arrested a suspected kidnapper at Gaya in Mubi South Local Government Area of Adamawa.

The suspect reportedly confessed to belonging to a kidnapping syndicate operating from the Solere Forest in Cameroon and crossing into Nigeria after carrying out abductions.

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In a related development, security operatives foiled an attempted bandits’ attack on Tauma village in Bodinga Local Government Area of Sokoto State, recovering five magazines loaded with 40 rounds of live ammunition after a gun battle with the attackers.

The state police command said the operation followed a distress call received at about 8:30p.m, on July 25, from a resident who reported that a large number of bandits had invaded the community with sophisticated weapons.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, said the Divisional Police Officer in Bodinga immediately mobilised tactical units, including the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and the Violence Crime Response Unit (VCRU), alongside other security personnel, to confront the attackers.

Rufa’i said the joint security team engaged the bandits in a fierce exchange of gunfire, forcing them to retreat into a nearby forest with suspected gunshot wounds.

He said a subsequent search of the area led to the recovery of five magazines containing 40 rounds of live ammunition abandoned by the fleeing suspects.