Army: Boko Haram fighters return to places we’ve captured

Rogers Nicholas, theatre commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, says Boko Haram insurgents return to occupy places the army formerly captured and cleared.

He said this on Wednesday, during a press conference in Maiduguri, Borno state capital.

Nicholas said the army has been pursuing members of the sect around the forest.

In December 2016, Lucky Irabor, ex-theatre commander of the pperation, had presented the flag of Boko Haram that was recovered from Sambisa forest “camp Zairo” to President Muhammadu Buhari.

In February, the army, again, said its troops destroyed camp Zairo in the “ongoing clearance operation to dislodge remnants of insurgents” in Sambisa.

Asked why the army had to “recapture” camp Zairo, Nicholas said the insurgent sect returned to the location after the army had cleared it on several occasions.

He, however, said the army would remain in the place to ensure the insurgents have no hiding place.

“Camp Zairo has been taken by our troops on several occasions. You know this is an asymmetric country, there is no boundaries,” Nicholas said.

“We take it today, we take the place and they move to another place and they occupy it again. We continue to run round.

“But this time around, I have decided that we will sleep with them in that bush. That is just the solution to what you have said.

“So, we are with them in the bush, we are not moving anywhere. We are pursuing them round the bush, we are with them there.”