The Joint Military Task Forces kills three and arrests 25 militants in Maiduguri

The Joint Military Task Forces have arrested a total of 25 insurgents during an operation to foil a planned attack on Maiduguri metropolis.

Director of Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade, who said this in a statement on Monday, added that the security forces also killed three of the terror suspects.

According to him, those killed included a high profile terror suspect, identified as Abba, who had been on the list of JTF’s most wanted persons.

He said, however, that the militants killed an operative of the JTF but were stopped from carrying out their plan to infiltrate the city to carry out attacks.

Olukolade said the confrontation between the security operatives and the militants occurred when the suspected terrorists were making moves to carry out a major attack in the Borno State capital.

He said various arms and ammunition were recovered from the militants during the encounter with security operatives in some parts of the city.

He said, “Meanwhile, a total of 25 insurgents were rounded up while three died, including a high profile terrorist identified as Abba, who has been on the list of most wanted persons.

“This incident happened during an encounter with troops of the task force as the insurgents were finalising moves to carry out an extensive terrorist operation around Maiduguri.

“The captured ones were all apprehended with their weapons, which include rifles, pistols, double barrel guns and various calibres of ammunition during a raid operation of the JTF in Kumshe and Bulunkutu area.”

In a related development, Olukolade also said the men of the Multinational Joint Task Force had captured and destroyed the assembly points of the terrorists in the outskirts of Kaneram, Dan Katsina, Tumbu Dabino and Mallam Fatori area north of Baga.

He said the affected towns and settlements had been cordoned off for an ongoing search operation in the area.

He said the operation carried out by the MJTF was in response to an intercepted message sent to fleeing insurgents to continue with the resolve to fight till the end.

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