Army Releases 249 Boko Haram Suspects, Get N3000 Each in Maiduguri

The Nigerian Army has on Sunday released a total of 249 cleared suspected Boko Haram terrorists and accomplices by the Joint Interrogation as approved by the Chief of Army Staff in Maiduguri.

The Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, in a statement on Monday, said that those cleared and released were 169 males, 46 women and 34 children.

He gave a further breakdown, which shows that 203 of the released suspects were from 18 Local Government Areas (LGA) of Borno State, while 44 were from other States including two each from Adamawa and Jigawa, one each from Lagos and Oyo, while about 38 are Yobe indigenes.

He, however, noted that two of them were from the Republic of Cameroon.

The Army spokesman said that the released persons were handed over to Borno State government through the Commissioner for Local Government by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division, Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu.

“The two foreigners were however handed over to the Borno State Command of the Nigerian Immigration Service,” he stated.

According to Usman, the Commissioner advised the released detainees to remain law abiding and go about their lawful businesses.

The Commissioner, he stated, also commended the effort of the military in the fight against terrorism and insurgency and respect for human rights as manifested in the painstaking efforts that led to their clearance and subsequent release.

“Each of them was given a token of N3,000 each,” he said.

In another development, Usman said that the troops of 101 Battalion, 7 Division Garrison on foot patrol along with some elements of Civilian JTF, on Sunday intercepted a suspected male suicide bomber at Sabon Gari Jidari.