Army arrests 1,240 Boko Haram suspects in Sambisa Forest raid

The Nigeria Army said it had arrested about 1,240 suspected Boko Haram terrorists during a mop-up operation by troops inside the Sambisa Forest.
Major General Lucky Irabor, the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, disclosed this while giving an update to newsmen on Operation Rescue Final at the Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri, Borno State.
Irabor said that 413 of the suspects were adults; 323 were female adults; 251 male children; while 253 were female children.
He said the suspects were apprehended during a mop-up operation against the sect members in the forest.
Irabor said: “We are interrogating them to know whether they are Boko Haram members because there is no way somebody that is not their member would live inside Sambisa Forest.
“We are still on the trail of the terrorists and I want to assure you that all escape routes have been blocked.
“Within this period, also, about 30 fleeing suspected Boko Haram members have surrendered to the Niger Multinational Troops on the shores of the lake Chad and we learnt that they were taken to Difa in the Niger Republic.
“The suspects include 24 male and six females.
“We would like to use this opportunity to encourage the terrorists to give up the fight because the window is still open.”