BY Fredrick Nwabufo
Nigerian troops will advance to Sambisa in Borno state on Saturday to scour the forest for the abducted Chibok schoolgirls, TheCable has learnt.
The troops advancing to Sambisa comprise the elite force of the military and soldiers specially trained for rescue operations.
According to a soldier participating in the operation, who would not want to be named, the Sambisa operation is expected to be a decisive one in the war against insurgency in the northeast.
“We are advancing to Sambisa on Saturday to flush out the militants from their last stronghold,” he said.
“It is going to be a decisive battle because we have expelled the militants from other two states in the northeast. We have specialised rescue teams who will be participating in the operation. We hope to find and rescue the missing girls.”
Although, the Nigeria air force have conducted aerial raids on Sambisa, this will be the first major attempt at launching frontal attacks on the last frontier of Boko Haram.
In March, Nigerian troops succeeded in freeing Bama and Gwoza, two strongholds of Boko Haram, of the militants after fierce fighting.
Announcing the successful military operation at Gwoza last Friday, Chris Olukolade, major-general and director of defence information had said: “Just this morning, the gallant troops of the Nigerian military, in a concerted and well-coordinated land and air operations have liberated Gwoza, the headquarters of their so-called caliphate, which they renamed ‘darul hikima.”
“This was preceded by successive sack of terrorists from towns and villages leading to Gwoza, the main objective.
“Several of the terrorists have died and many of them captured in the process. A lot of arms and ammunition have been recovered and the administrative headquarters completely destroyed.
“A massive cordon and search has commenced to locate any fleeing terrorists or hostages in their custody.”
Olukolade hinted that the Nigerian military had been able “to take over virtually all the enclaves and hideouts where the militants were marauding,” but the war against insurgency is not over yet as troops are currently scouring the northeast for the last vestiges of the militants.
“It is observed that some of the terrorists are currently fleeing towards border areas. The fleeing terrorists will expectedly run into subsequent encounter with contingents of partners in the multinational joint task force who have been mandated to contain them accordingly,” Olukolade said.
“The mop up operation in Gwoza and other liberated areas will continue in order to ensure that no vestiges of terrorists or terrorism remain in our country.”
The Chibok schoolgirls, who were abducted from their dormitory at Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno state in the night of April 14, were initially thought to be held at Gwoza.
But with the liberation of the town and without any sign of them, it is speculated that they may be held at Sambisa, hence the push of the military into the area.
In a few days, it will be a year since the abduction of the girls. There is still little information regarding their whereabouts.
In just six weeks, the Nigerian military has successfully expelled Boko Haram militants from a large swathe of area, including Adamawa and Yobe states in the northeast, but the missing schoolgirls are yet to be rescued.
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