From Marvel Uche, Maiduguri

The Intelligence Unit of the Joint Military Taskforce in the North East, Operation Hadinkai, Colonel Obinna Ezuipke, has disclosed that 98 out of the 276 girls abducted from Government Girls’ Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, by Boko Haram terrorists on 14th April 2014 are still in captivity.

The Head of the Intelligence Unit of the Joint Military Taskforce in the North East’s Operation Hadinkai, disclosed this to newsmen at its headquarters, Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri on Saturday.

He explained that out of the 276 abducted Chibok girls, 57 girls escaped in 2014 while 107 girls were released in 2018.

The head of the Intelligence Unit further explained that three girls were rescued in 2019, two in 2021 and 9 in 2022, making a total of 178 girls.

Giving statistics on the activities of Operation Hadinkai in August 2022, Colonel Ezuikpe disclosed, “A total of 43 terrorists were neutralized, while 24 others were arrested by the troops in August alone, apart from the over 100 killed in September 2022, as well as recovery of various weapons, including 129 AK-47 rifles, 1,515 rounds of ammunitions, 16 FN rifles, 3 MG, 17 grenades, among others, during the operations.”

He explained that the military carried out a total of 2726 patrols and 982 ambushes against the terrorists, revealing that the military recorded 26 attacks from the terrorists, adding that in the process, two soldiers were killed and 9 others sustained various degrees of injury.

Ezuikpe revealed that from June 2022 to date a total of 113 people who are suppliers of food, fertiliser and other logistics to the terrorists were arrested.

He said the troops also rescued many women and children, as well as destroyed properties and hideouts of the terrorists in the period under review.