Troops kill female bombers, arrest one in Borno

Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole of the Nigerian Army deployed around Gamboru Ngala in Borno State on Tuesday killed two female Boko Haram bombers and arrested one while they were trying to infiltrate the community. 

It was gathered that if successful, the attack would have been very devastating.

The Deputy Director, Public Relations, Theatre Command of Operation Lafiya Dole, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu said two of the bombers, strapped with suicide vests, had attempted to infiltrate Gamboru town at about 6.45 am when they were sighted by troops and members of the Civilian JTF on a joint patrol at Unguwar Yobe area.

Nwachukwu said when the terrorists were halted by the patrol team, from a safe distance, and ordered to unstrap their suicide vests, they vehemently refused. 

“All efforts and entreaties by the patrol team to make the suicide bombers remove their IED vests failed as the duo adamantly approached the troops.

“They were immediately neutralised by the troops, and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team (EOD) safely unstrapped and detonated the suicide vests.

“The third female bomber was detected and intercepted within the same general area and subsequently confessed to the joint patrol that she and the other two terrorists had been dispatched at about 3.30 am on Tuesday to unleash mayhem on Gamboru town. 

“She also revealed the location she had hid her suicide vest and led the troops to recover it. The recovered vests and the surviving suicide bomber have been taken into custody. She is being further interrogated,” Col. Nwachukwu said in a statement said. 

He urged the general public to be more alert and vigilant while going about their daily activities in their various communities to detect suspicious persons and inform the security agencies accordingly.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has warned residents in the North East, particularly Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states, to stop harbouring fleeing Boko Haram terrorists in their communities.

A statement signed by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen Sani Usman in Abuja yesterday said credible intelligence had revealed that several of the terrorists had resorted to taking refuge in dry wells and other hideouts in some communities along their escape routes from the Sambisa forest to evade the sustained bombardments from air and ground troops of Operation Lafiya Dole.