Chibok Girl Rescue: Nigerian Army ‘Surrounds’ Boko Haram Sect

Nigerian troops and other security outfits have blocked all arms and food supply routes of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region as part of concerted efforts to rescue the Chibok girls.

The Nigerian Army and the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) are tightening the noose round the neck of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad area, according to indications yesterday.

The troops have blocked all supply routes to the insurgents in the build-up to the next stage of liberating the over 200 Chibok girls abducted two years ago by the terrorists.

The blockade covers arms, ammunition and other logistics, highly placed sources told The Nation.

The number of MNJTF troops deployed in the Lake Chad Basin by Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic had hit 10,500 by yesterday. The MNJTF forces are receiving intelligence and reconnaissance assistance from France, Britain and the United States.

Nigeria has already released $80miilion (N33.440billion) of the $100million it pledged to revitalize the MNJTF. A top military source confirmed last night that the blockade was part of the ongoing Operation Crackdown against the insurgents.

But he explained that the troops could not move now into the targeted part of Sambisa Forest because of the rains. Sources said the marshy nature of the area makes movement difficult at this time of the year.

Said one of the sources: “There is no doubt about the fact that we have blocked all supply routes of Boko Haram. These include supply of arms, ammunition and other logistics. If we don’t do so, we won’t have recorded the success at hand.

“This is not just a Nigerian issue;we have been able to bring our neighbouring countries on board. We are all working collectively for peace in the Lake Chad Basin.

“We now have about 10,500 troops in the MNJTF already deployed in Lake Chad Basin in order to make it a battle to the finish.

“Some people did not believe that the MNJTF and the Nigerian Army could succeed in defeating Boko Haram to this extent. We are, however, not relenting in our Operation Crackdown.”