By Kingsley Omonobi
The Military High Command confirmed on Tuesday that Nigerian Army troops, Operations Lafiya Dole, have liberated the Matte Local Government area from Boko Haram control, in response to the 48-hour ultimatum given to the troops by the Chief of Staff. of the Army (COAS). , Major General Ibrahim Attahiru.
The Army Public Relations Director, Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima, confirmed the fact in a telephone conversation.
He did not elaborate on the operation that freed the Boko Haram community that had raised their flags in the area.
A senior military official said that the troops recovered the city at exactly 3:00 p.m. after carrying out several day and night offensives against the terrorists from different angles, having carried out aerial surveillance of the terrorist positions.
Recall that the Chief of the Army General Staff, COAS, Major General Ibrahim Attahiru on Sunday gave the Nigerian Army troops, ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’ 48 hours to clear the insurgents of the Mars Local Government Area, LGA, from Borno State recently captured by Boko Haram insurgents.
General Attahiru had led troops to eliminate terrorists from the communities of Kirenowa, Kirta, Wulgo and Chikingudo from the local government area of Mars in the state.
He gave the ultimatum while addressing the Nigerian Army Supercamp 9 troops, Dikwa, saying that “the areas around Mars, Chikingudu, Wulgo Kirenowa and Kirta must be cleaned in the next 48 hours.
“You must be sure of all the support you need in this onerous task. I just spoke with the theater commander and the commanding general officer of the 7th division, they must not let this nation down. Come back and do what it takes and I’ll be right behind you. “
On the pitch to free Matte, military sources revealed that the troops, who were spurred on by Attahiru’s marching directive, have already demobilized several mines as they advanced further on the axis.
“Our troops, more than ever, are committed to dealing with the terrorists in the Northeast. Since then, after the COAS indictment, they went into action with a view to liberating Mars and some neighboring communities.
“The terrorist attacks have not weakened their morale in any way. The troops in Dikwa have not been distracted either. At the moment, we are intensifying our intelligence gathering mechanism to discover the informants of the terrorists, ”the source concluded.
