TheCable

The Nigerian army said it burst and cleared a Boko Haram major bomb making factory in Ngala, a town in Borno state.

Sani Usman, army spokesman, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday.

He said troops of the 3 battalion, 22 brigade of ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’, cleared the factory on Friday during a clearance patrol of the area.

Usman said the insurgents had used explosives made from the secret device making factory to attack innocent citizens and even military units around the area.

“Troops of 3 Battalion, 22 Brigade, have again succeeded in bursting a secret Boko Haram terrorists’ improvised explosive making device factory in Ngala town, northern Borno,” the statement read.

“It will be recalled that despite their defeat, the terrorists continued to attack innocent citizens, military and soft targets through vehicular and human borne Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

“Despite ongoing clearance of the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists, they persistently hid the IED manufacturing factories location.”

Usman said the successful clearance of the factory was partly based on credible and timely information volunteered by the public on the activities of the insurgents.

He added that some insurgents were killed during the raid, while several items including 20 gas cylinders of various sizes prepared and ready for explosive insertion were recovered.

He listed other items recovered from the factory to include primers, gun powder, electric wires and tape recorders.

The army in another statement said troops of 3 Battalion and 22 Brigade on Sunday foiled a planned attack on Wunbi in Kala Balge local government area of Borno.

Usman said troops carried out a pre-emptive attack on the insurgents’ hideout to foil the planned attack.

He said nine suspected insurgents were killed in the gunfire that followed the pre-emptive attack at Tatakura village, 20 km South West of Wumbi.

Usman said troops captured three AK-47 rifles, one Fabrique Nationale rifle, one General Purpose Machine Gun, a 60 mm Mortar Tube, G3-Machine Gun seven Fabrique Nationale Magazines and one Rocket Propelled Grenade 7 (RPG 7) Tube.

He listed other items recovered to include 108 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, one Energa grenade, an RPG 7 Bomb as well as three 60 mm mortar bombs and two motorcycles.

Troops have recently cleared a number of the insurgents’ hideouts in the north-east and have rescued many hostages.