In a ‘significant development’ a deputy commander of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād gives himself up to MNJTF troops at Cross Kauwa in Kukawa, Borno State.
A high-ranking member of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS) – more commonly referred to as Boko Haram – has surrendered to the troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).
Awana Alhaji Mele Keremi, a deputy commander of the insurgent group, gave himself up to the troops at Cross Kauwa in the Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State in Nigeria’s northeast.
Cross Kauwa is on the shores of Lake Chad, more than 200km from the state capital, Maiduguri, in the far northern part of Borno.
Lieutenant Colonel Olaniyi Osoba, the chief military information officer, made the disclosure in a statement issued from the MNJTF’s headquarters in N’Djamena in Chad on Monday, August 19.
He described Keremi’s surrender as a “significant development”.
He said Keremi served as “the right-hand man to a notorious Boko Haram commander”. He did not name the commander.
Osoba said that during interrogation, Keremi provided valuable intelligence to authorities, confessing to his involvement in “numerous terrorist operations” along the Monguno-Baga axis, a region that has seen some of the most intense conflicts between JAS insurgents and Nigerian military forces.
“In a related development, MNJTF troops also welcomed Babagoni Modu and a family of eight who escaped from a Boko Haram camp in Marte. Modu, a former member of the terrorist group, cited his disillusionment with their violent activities as the reason for his escape,” Osoba said.
The family – comprising two women, four men and two children – shared the harrowing experiences they endured at the hands of the insurgents before their daring escape.
“Simultaneously, MNJTF troops detected and safely detonated multiple improvised explosive devices [IEDs] in Cross Kauwa, preventing harm to civilians and infrastructure in the area.”
Osoba said the discovery and detonation of the IEDs highlighted “the vigilance and effectiveness of the troops in countering the threat posed by Boko Haram and ISWAP [Islamic State West Africa Province] insurgents”.
“These recent developments underscore the commitment of the MNJTF to combat terrorism and safeguard the Lake Chad region,” he said.
“The surrender of a high-ranking Boko Haram figure and the successful disposal of explosive devices represent significant victories in the ongoing campaign against terrorism in the area.”
SHETTIMA LAWAN MONGUNO
