How Nigerian Army rescued 293 Girls and Women Captured by Boko Haram

Nigerian Troops stormed Sambisa, on Tuesday and rescued 293 females..
By Lashley Oladigbolu

President Goodluck Jonathan on a recent visit to men of the Nigerian Army launching 'Final Onslaught' against Boko Haram Terrorists

Amidst precise but daring operations nicknamed #NeverAgain Nigerian troops have rescued 200 girls and 93 women in the Sambisa Forest, the Nigerian Armed Forces announced on its official Twitter account.
It reads among others:

"@DefenceInfoNG: #Sambisa Forest: The freed persons are now being screened and profiled. We will bring you details later. /3
#NeverAgain"

 See Pictures of Abductees Released Later 

The armed forces could not immediately confirm if any of the rescued girls were among the 200 schoolgirls the militant group Boko Haram kidnapped in April 2014 from the northeastern Nigerian village of Chibok. That abduction led to a social media movement, #BringBackOurGirls, to rescue them.

Nigerian troops also captured and destroyed three terrorist camps, the armed forces said.

Boko Haram is a militant terrorist group. The name translates to "Western education is sin" in the local Hausa language.

Also at least 21 people  were killed by suspected members of dreaded Boko Haram in Marguba community and other surrounding villages of Beneshiekh, the headquarters of Kaga local government area of Borno state.

It was  gathered that at least three major terrorists camps have been destroyed in the well-cordinated attacks that include the destruction of the notorious Tokumbere camp in the Sambisa Forest.

While confirming the operation the Director Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade said he could not confirm the identity of the freed victims and their origins and he could not state if any of them was from Chibok until after thorough screening and proper investigations.

United Nations aptly supporting African Union in her proposed standing multinational 8,000 troops to fight terrorisms and protect the continent.

He said: “I can only confirm the rescued this afternoon of 200 girls and 93 women in different camps in the forest. We are yet to determine their origin as all the freed persons are now being screened and profiled. Please don’t misquote me on their origin. We will provide more details later.”

Over 200 Chibok  school girls abducted by Boko Haram stirred global campaign

Notorious Boko Haram ringleader, Shekau Abubarka reported to be 'killed' few times ago.

At least 17 people and five others were killed by suspected members of dreaded Boko Haram in Marguba community and other surrounding villages of Beneshiekh, the headquarters of Kaga local government area of Borno state.

Belingerent Nigerian Army in one of their manouvres in the areas reclaimed

The insurgents according to sources also injured many residents after setting ablaze several houses mostly thatched roofs before looting foodstuff and livestock.

Beneshiekh is north west and about 76 kilometers drive from Maiduguri, the state capital. It is located on the fringes of Sambisa forest along Maiduguri- Damaturu-Kano road which have witnessed series of deadly attacks by insurgents.

In Borno, on April 14 of last year.

Fifty-seven girls escaped within hours of the attack but 219 remained in captivity.

In the weeks following the mass abduction, Nigerian security sources and locals in Borno said there were indications the girls had been taken to the Sambisa Forest.

But defence officials and experts agreed they were likely separated over the last 13 months, casting significant doubt on the possibility they were being held together as a group.

Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, vowed to “marry them off” or sell them as slaves.

The Chibok attack brought unprecedented world attention to the Nigeria’s Islamist uprising.

Celebrities and prominent personalities including US First Lady Michelle Obama joined the Twitter campaign #BringBackOurGirls that attracted supporters worldwide.

But Boko Haram has also been blamed for hundreds of other kidnappings, especially targeting women and girls across north-east Nigeria.

Read Also: How Nigerian Military Prepare The Final Onslaught Against Boko Haram