Troops rescue women, children kidnapped in Bama attack

Troops of the Special Operations in Borno State have rescued three women and six children kidnapped during the May 7 attack in Bama.
Brigadier General Chris Olukolade, the Director of Defence Information, made this known on Friday in Abuja when he briefed newsmen on the ongoing operations in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States.
Olukolade said the rescued persons were part of the 12 people kidnapped during the attack, adding that the troops had yet to locate a woman and her two children.
He said the victims were rescued after overrunning three terrorists’ camps in the notorious Sambisa Forest Area of Central Borno in the ongoing onslaught against the terrorists.
He said: “The women and children, who were kidnapped from police barracks and environs during the May 7, 2013 attack on Bama, had been held in the camp since their abduction.
“The victims were featured in the video by Abubakar Shekau recently.”
According to the defence spokesman, the Defence Headquarters Operational Assessment Team has been visiting various locations where troops have been deployed for operation.
Olukolade said the team, led by Major General Lawrence Ngubane, Chief of Training and Operations in the DHQ, had been on the field to ascertain the progress and effectiveness of the operation.
He said the seven-man team had returned to Abuja to brief the Chief of Defence Staff after three days in the operation area.
Olukolade said the CDS was full of praises for  the troops for demonstrating high level of professionalism in the operations that routed terrorists from some camps in Borno and other states of the federation.
He quoted the CDS as saying: “The feat performed by the soldiers was a major achievement in the process of restoring normalcy to communities that have been held captive by terrorists’ activities.
“At least, no civilian casualty was recorded in the process, the progress recorded in the operation so far was a source of pride to the military and all Nigerians.
“The CDS therefore enjoined them to continue to adhere strictly to the rules of engagement and all codes of conduct stipulated for the operations.”
Olukolade said the CDS described the exercise as a major test case on the capacity of the security forces to manage the nation’s security issues as mandated by President Goodluck Jonathan.
He said that a community leader in Kirenowa in Borno State said the presence of soldiers in the area was a great relief to the people.
Olukolade, however, did not disclose the name of the community leader for security reasons,
He added that the leader and so many other indigenes of the state had fled the town to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, to escape harassment by the insurgents.
He said that the DHQ team had earlier visited all the deployments locations in the various captured camps and enclaves of the terrorists and took progress reports from all the frontline commanders.
The spokesman said the DHQ team also visited all the wounded soldiers receiving treatment in the hospital.