SAN FRANCISCO, March 16, (THEWILL) – Nigerian troops Monday recorded another major victory against the Boko Haram with the complete liberation of Yobe State having successfully retaken Goniri, the last major stronghold of the terrorist group operating in the state, after days of fighting.
Nigeria’s Defence Ministry in a statement announcing the development said, “Cordon and search is continuing in and around Goniri town which is in same LGA with Buni Yadi where a bomb making facility was discovered in the course of cordon and search recently.
“This completes the clearing of Gujba Local Government Area (LGA), one of the two LGA occupied by the terrorists in Yobe state. The other Local Government, Gulani, was finally cleared earlier in the month.”
The liberation of Yobe State, one of the three states in northeastern Nigeria, where the Boko Haram had taken a sizeable territory, is coming days after the military announced the liberation of Adamawa State.
In a related development, the military has announced that federal troops have retaken Bama, a key city in Borno State, the last of the three states.
“Troops this afternoon finally succeeded in routing terrorists from Bama in Borno state. The mission which was accomplished with massive casualty inflicted on the terrorists before the remnant finally fled the town lasted days of careful manouvre and efforts to scale series of obstacles and land mines planted by terrorists who have occupied the town for months,” the statement said, adding that “The Chadian partners in the Multinational Joint Task Force have been mandated to undertake a pursuit of the terrorists who are believed to be heading for the borders after being dislodged from Bama.”
The military said cordon and search operations are being executed just as arms and ammunition are being recovered, while troops are aggressively patrolling the town “looking out for any terrorists who might be stranded or trying to operate elsewhere in the area.”
