The
Joint Task Force (JTF) said during the on-going campaign that started
on July 3 its men discovered many mass graves, tunnels, bunkers and
assorted arms and ammunitions buried in graveyards and deserted areas.
JTF
did not give a specific number of insurgents killed, but residents said
over 100 people lost their lives during the operation. A state
specialists hospital official also told the newsmen that more than 95 bodies were deposited in the past 10 days as the operation went on.
The
revelation came shortly after some journalists were allowed access to
select areas in Maiduguri where insurgents used to hold sway, which had
been cordoned off by security operatives.
The
correspondents reported that it was a gory sight – with decomposing
bodies strewn around destroyed homes and business premises.
In
a statement in Maiduguri yesterday, JTF spokesman Lt-Col Sagir Musa
said between July 3 and 8, troops “had dislodged Boko Haram terrorists
from their main enclaves in Bulabulin Ngarnam, Aljajeri and Falluja
areas of Maiduguri metropolis.”
He
said troops had engaged some insurgents in serious fight which led to
the killing of many of them, adding that the operation was ongoing.
“During
the encounter, some terrorists were killed in the fire fight including
the main Amir of Bulabulin Ngarnam, who was on the wanted list of the
JTF with N10million bounty.
“He
was responsible for the killing of a teacher and three students of
Sanda Kyarami secondary school Ruwan Zafi in Maiduguri metropolis. Many
abducted women, girls and children were rescued and handed over to their
families by the task force.
“During
the search of the areas, many arms and ammunition of various calibers
buried inside houses and cemeteries were recovered,” the statement said.
Lt-Col
Musa, who conducted journalists round the selected areas, added that in
the course of the operation, decomposing corpses of some people killed
after they were abducted by the insurgents had been found in sewages.
He
said mass graves of insurgents killed during encounters but taken away
by their surviving colleagues were also found in the areas.
“Troops
also discovered vast network mouse-holes linking compounds and
underground tunnels as well as bunkers under houses. Troops are still
searching the area for more weapons, ammunition and mass graves. The JTF
uses this opportunity to appeal to members of the public for support
and more information on terrorists’ activities,” Lt-Col Musa said in the
statement.
The
reporters informed that decomposing bodies were present in the cordoned
areas, with flies hovering around and putrid odour oozing out.
For
over 10 days, residents of Abbaganaram, Tashar Gwoza and other
locations close to Bulabulin, Bayan Tasha have been in distress as a
result of terrifying sound of gunshots, and movement of armoured
personnel carriers and other military hardware.
Movement had been restricted and stops and search operations intensified.
A
credible source at the State Specialists Hospital in Maiduguri
confirmed that over 95 bodies had been deposited there in the past 10
days.
“Because
of limited space in the mortuary, workers from the Borno State
Environmental Protection Agency (BOSEPA) always come here and evacuate
the corpses. This is necessary in order to avoid an epidemic,” he said.
It
has been also reported that following the sacking of the insurgents’
territories in northern Borno as well as in Sambisa forest and Gwoza
hills in central and northern parts of the state, some insurgents
sneaked into Maiduguri and settled in Bulabulin, Ngarnam and Bayan
Tasha, prompting JTF to cordon the places and conduct operations.
Borno
is among the three states under a state of emergency—along with Yobe
and Adamawa – which was proclaimed on May 17 in the wake of rising
activities of insurgents. 
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