At least 1,250 fleeing Boko Haram fighters and families have surrendered to Nigerian troops in the country’s North East in the last seven days following a deadly clash with the rival Islamic State of the West African Province (Iswap) that claimed over 200 lives.
Zagazola, a counter-insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in Lake Chad reported how the ISWAP terrorists carried out reprisal attacks on Boko Haram fighters on February 26 and 27, 2023 in Gaizuwa, Mantari, Gabchari, Kashimiri, and Maimusari in Bama, North East Borno state.
The Iswap group successfully dislodged Boko Haram, killing many of them and forcing survivors to flee their camps together with their families.
Top Military sources told Zagazola Makama, a Counter-Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst on Sunday that the ISWAP group intercepted the fleeing terrorists in Yale in Konduga and Choliye in Gudumbali LGA and neutralized more than 200 of them.
The ISWAP stormed another hideout in Asinari, Ashanari, and Masarmari area in Konduga on March 1, 2023, and killed another score of the Boko Haram fighters.
The sources explained that the sustained inter-rivalry clash of the groups, triggered the massive surrendering of the militants in Mafa, Konduga, and Bama Local Government Areas.
He said “The militants surrendered because of the fear that they will be neutralized by either the Super Tukano’s of the ISWAP rival faction. There was no hiding place anymore.
He said “So far, we have received 1,250 fighters and their families within one week. This number was the highest we have received in a very short period of time in different parts of the theatre.
“The surrendered suspects who also came out with about 1,000 livestock, confessed that the ISWAP were after their lives as they do not spear women and children.
“Among those who surrendered were women who had been enslaved by, conscripted by, or minors born to the insurgents,” he said.
The military sources said profiling of the surrendered terrorists is ongoing, after which the individuals will be handed over to the appropriate agencies for further rehabilitation.
Recalled that the military authority said as many as 100,000 fighters and family members, along with their captives, have left Boko Haram, the largest wave of defections by the terror group was attributed to the death of Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram’s leader, who blew himself up in May 2021, during a rival clash with ISWAP.
