Another Boko Haram Kingpin Arrested By Nigerian Army

The Nigerian Army on Monday said it had arrested another suspected Boko Haram terrorist kingpin, Mr John Trankil, at Kasuwar Shanu area of Maiduguri.
Col. Tukur Gusau, the Media Coordinator, Operation Lafiya Dole, said this in a statement in Maiduguri.
“Troops of 7 Division Garrison Nigerian Army in Operation Lafiya Dole, made a remarkable progress by arresting a Boko Haram Terrorist kingpin, Mr John Trankil, at Kasuwar Shanu in Maiduguri metropolis.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect said that nine of them sneaked into Maiduguri armed with AK 47 assault rifle each and a Toyota Hilux vehicle laden with 20 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) meant to be detonated at some selected targets in the city,” he said.
“The Theater Commander Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj.-Gen. Yusha’u Abubakar, commended the efforts of the troops and renewed call for the troops and the public to be more vigilant and security conscious.
Gusau said that troops of the 21 Brigade of the army had also discovered and IED making factory along Bama-Gonin Kurmi within the outskirts of Bama town in Borno.
“In a related development, troops of 21 Brigade Nigerian Army, while on offensive operations on Boko Haram terrorists location, with the support from the Nigerian Air Force, discovered and destroyed the terrorists IEDs and Rocket making factory along Bama-Gonin Kurmi within the outskirts of Bama town, Borno.

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Nigerian Army Looses NE Town To Boko Haram

Maiduguri (Nigeria) (AFP) - Suspected Boko Haram insurgents have forced hundreds of soldiers to flee Marte, a border town along the shores of Lake Chad, a local official and witnesses said.

"The terrorists, numbering over 2,000, appeared from various directions on Thursday and engaged the soldiers in Kirenowa town and adjoining communities in Marte," said Imamu Habeeb, a local community leader.

"They fought with soldiers over the night and the fight continued today (Friday), forcing hundreds of soldiers to flee," he added from Borno state capital Maiduguri.

Local fighter Shehu Dan Baiwa said the more than 2,000 fighters had been armed with bombs and tanks. "They used the weapons without restraint and succeeded in killing several people," he said.

This is the third time Boko Haram has seized control of Marte in restive Borno state, a key battleground of their six-year insurgency, which has killed more than 13,000 and left 1.5 million homeless.

The city is among several retaken in recent weeks by Nigeria's military, which has launched an offensive against the Islamists as part of a regional operation supported by Chad, Cameroon and Niger.

But Boko Haram have been fighting back, and Nigerian troops were also forced to retreat from Boko Haram's Sambisa Forest stronghold this week after a landmine blast killed one soldier and three vigilantes.

A senior local politician confirmed, on condition of anonymity, that the insurgents had retaken Marte.

"We lost many (people) because some of our people that fled to Chad and Cameroon have return after Nigerian troops recovered the town recently," he added.

A senior military official confirmed the attack on Marte, but refused to say whether Boko Haram had retaken the town, describing the army's retreat as "strategic".

Source:http://news.yahoo.com/boko-haram-retakes-ne-town-nigerian-army-012943746.html

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