School where the girls were adopted, Chibok. PHOTO: AFP |
The Nigerian army said Sunday it had recaptured and "secured" the northeastern town of Chibok, where Islamic militants abducted more than 200 schoolgirls in April, AFP reports.
The army recaptured the town Saturday evening from Boko Haram militants, spokesman General Olajide Olaleye told AFP in a text message. "Mopping up ops ongoing. (The) town is now secured," he said.
Leading
elder Pogu Bitrus told AFP the town was re-taken in a joint operation
with local vigilantes known as the Civilian Joint Task Force, who back
up the military in several parts of the northeast where Boko Haram is
active.
He said the
vigilantes fought inside the town while army soldiers "stayed outside
the town to mop up the insurgents trying to escape."
Boko Haram had captured the town on Thursday after a battle lasting several hours.
Control of Chibok is
crucial to the reputation of the army and the government, which have
come under harsh criticism for their failure to rescue the schoolgirls.
The
Islamists stormed the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok on
the evening of April 14 and forced 276 students onto trucks in a mass
abduction that caused global outrage.
Fifty-seven managed to escape.
The
insurrection by Boko Haram, which wants to create an Islamic state in
mainly Muslim northern Nigeria, has claimed more than 10,000 lives in
the past five years.
They have seized more than 20 towns and villages in the northeast in recent months.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Disclaimer: All comments and opinions on any part of this blog/stories are not that of Olusegun Akinleye but strictly that of the readers/visitors.
For complaints, advert placements and tip-offs, contact me:
Email: mypenspeaks@gmail.com