Army rescues octogenarian, six other Boko Haram captives in Borno

• ‘Health, security of IDPs in N’East gulp N831.4b’

Troops of 26 Task Force Brigade, Operation Lafiya Dole; have rescued seven people at Dalu village during clearance operations in Mandara Mountains of Gwoza Council, Borno State. Credible intelligence on the presence of some Boko Haram terrorists among hill dwellers led to the operations.

Army Operations Media Coordinator, Col. Aminu Iliyasu, stated yesterday in Maiduguri: “Last Saturday’s army operations yielded good dividends, as the troops identified and rescued three women, including an 80-year-old, and four children that were held captives by Boko Haram insurgents.

“The rescued persons were living with terrorists at Dalu village hill settlement, 26 kilometres east of Gwoza town that was captured in August 16, 2014 by Boko Haram.”According to him, the rescued captives were evacuated, while the children were immunised against polio by the medical team of army.He added that the troops recorded no casualty during the operations in the border areas with Cameroon.

“The troops’ resilience and doggedness are unwavering, as further exploitation to complete the annihilation of the insurgents are being sustained in the mountainous environment.“The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, reassures the public of the army’s resolve to continue to execute its constitutional mandate professionally and responsively to secure the nation.”

Meanwhile, the Director of Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), Alexandra Bilak, says the economic impact of internal displacement in the
North East has hit $2.3 billion (about N831.4 billion).

The costs were incurred by various Nigerian governments and the international community between January 2014 and December 2018 of Boko Haram terrorism in region.This was disclosed in 2019 IDMC Report entitled ‘Costs of Displacement in North East Nigeria’ made available to The Guardian on Saturday in Maiduguri.The decade-long Boko Haram terrorism has reportedly displaced 7.7 million people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.

According to the report, each year, about $500 million (N180 billion) is expended to support Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in camps and host communities.“The largest costs are linked with health needs, mainly as a result of IDPs’ food insecurity,” said the report, adding that the IDPs’ health requirements account for 35 per cent.It explained that most of the IDPs rely on humanitarian food assistance.“The highest financial burdens come from the impact of internal displacement on livelihoods, housing and health,” she said.