During a fierce battle with Boko Haram insurgents for the strategic town of Konduga in Borno State, the Nigerian military said yesterday that it captured one of the sect’s top commanders and killed several others.

The revelation by the military coincided with a damning report released by Amnesty International (AI) yesterday exposing the alleged torture methods and systemic human rights abuses perpetrated by the Nigeria Police Force and military.

Konduga has been the target of multiple attacks in the last one week owing to its proximity to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, which the Islamist sect has been attempting to capture in its bid to establish an Islamic Caliphate.

But Nigerian troops have consistently repelled the attacks by the sect, resulting in the death of hundreds of the insurgents in recent days.

This was confirmed yesterday by the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Major-General Chris Olukolade, in response to THISDAY inquiries on the ongoing military operations in the North-east.


According to Olukolade, the “seriously wounded high-ranking terrorist leader is being treated in a military medical facility after he was captured in the operations at Konduga”.

“He was among those captured yesterday (Wednesday) while over 60 of his fighters died during the series of attacks they launched to gain access to Konduga and its suburbs,” he added.

The defence spokesman also disclosed that some of the additional weapons that were recovered from the terrorists including 24 rifles, five rocket-propelled grenade tubes, two machine guns, and one anti-aircraft gun as well as a Ford Ranger vehicle. He said another Ford Ranger vehicle was destroyed.

He also explained that in Benishek, Borno State, where troops fought through an ambush yesterday, four motorcycles of the terrorists were recovered, adding that one soldier was killed during the attack, while four others who were wounded are receiving treatment.

In another statement on the battle for Konduga, the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier-General Olajide Laleye, said: “In the on-going operations to dislodge Boko Haram terrorists from the North-east, gallant troops of the Nigerian Army conducted offensive operations between 4 pm and 8 pm yesterday (Wednesday, September 17) in the Konduga area of Borno State, killing over 60 Boko Haram terrorists.”
He said the Nigerian Army did not suffer any casualty in the operation, while the “morale of the troops remains very high”.


http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/military-captures-boko-haram-commander-in-konduga/189412/