The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) reported that 263 Boko Haram terrorists and their families have surrendered to the authorities. This surrender occurred during the ongoing Operation Lake Sanity II, which aims to combat insurgency in the Lake Chad region.
According to Lt.-Col. Abubakar Abdullahi, Chief Military Public Information Officer for the MNJTF, the wave of surrenders spanned from July 11 to July 17, 2024. The initial surrender happened on July 1, when five Boko Haram members turned themselves in to MNJTF troops in Wulgo, located on the border between Nigeria and Cameroon.
These initial defectors were identified as coming from the areas of Tumbuma and Kutumgulla in Marte Local Government Area (LGA) of Nigeria. On the same day, a 50-year-old man named Malum Kori Bukar managed to escape from a Boko Haram hideout in Jibilaram and surrendered to the troops.
The wave of surrenders continued, with 19 terrorists giving up in Madaya, extreme North Cameroon, on July 11. Another 11 terrorists surrendered in Wulgo from the Tumbuma hideout, also on the same day. On July 12, a significant number of 64 individuals surrendered in Bonderi, Cameroon, comprising 6 adult males, 20 women, and 38 children. By July 13, another 27 terrorists had surrendered.
Lt.-Col. Abdullahi highlighted that all the surrendered individuals were from Nigerian communities. He stated, “Preliminary investigation revealed that all the surrendered individuals belong to Nigerian communities. Consequently, they were handed over to the troops of Operation HADIN KAI for further action.”
