Top terrorist commanders surrender in Lake Chad

The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has said two high-ranking Boko Haram commanders have surrendered to the MNJTF after 15 years of fighting against the troops.

Lieutenant Colonel Abubakar Abdullahi, spokesperson for the MNJTF, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

The commanders, identified as Ibrahim Muhammed and Auwal Muhammed, also known as WANKA, belonged to the Bakura Buduma faction and were responsible for carrying out attacks in various locations around Lake Chad.

He attributed the surrender to intensified kinetic and non-kinetic operations by troops targeting terrorist groups within Sector 3 of the MNJTF.

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The individuals were active commanders operating in the Lake Chad Islands until they decided to lay down their sophisticated weapons and embrace peace.

Abdullahi said during questioning, both Muhammed and WANKA revealed their 15-year affiliation with the Bakura Buduma faction, operating out of Kwallaram in the Lake Chad islands.

The MNJTF also recovered a significant cache of weapons including AK-47 rifles, magazines, ammunition, hand grenades, a handheld radio, and mobile phones.

“The recovery of various items from the surrendering terrorists underscores the significance of this event. These items include  One AK-47 rifle, 3 AK-47 rifle magazines, 90 rounds of 7.62mm special, one magazine carrier and one mobile phone belonging to Ibrahim Mohammed.

“While one AK-47 rifle, 5 magazines, 101  rounds of 7.62millimeter special,  one  mobile phone, one magazine carrier,  2 hand grenades and one hand held radio belonging to Auwal Mohammed WANKA were recovered,” he said.

The surrendered fighters had been taken into custody for further investigation at the time of filing this report.