by Kolapo Olapoju
“No cause for alarm! Terrorists in search of respite cannot harbour here”
This is what the Nigerian Army has to say about the recently captured town Marte, in Borno.
About 24 hours after Boko Haram insurgents seized the town, the Army released a statement on its Facebook page, seeking to correct the impression that the town was captured.
According to the release, the town was not fought for, rather the Boko Haram fighters easily strolled in and took control.
The Army admitted that there was no troops presence in the town:
“There has not been any static deployment of troops in Marte for quite sometime in line with the need to emphasise more aggressive patrol of many threatened isolated communities while the assault on the forests and mountain hideouts of terrorists is ongoing.
Only occasional patrols and surveillance have been undertaken towards the area as the bulk of troops are engaged in the operation to clear the terrorists from all identified enclaves in the forest. Besides, Marte had been deserted by citizens most of whom had fled to other towns while others are in IDP camps located in Maiduguri and other places.”
The Army however, remained bullish about its chances of recovering the town from the insurgents, “now that their presence has been reported.”
“It is understandable that those terrorists escaping from the offensive operations in Sambisa and other enclaves are looking for place of respite. They must have found the Marte deserted and decided to harbour there. No problem. Now that their presence is reported, the issue will definitely be addressed in a very short while.
There is really no cause for alarm in the way some reports are presenting this situation as if it is a meaningful resurgence of the terrorists. This will only fool the terrorists and there sympathisers into false celebration . There will certainly be no respite for terrorists anywhere in Nigeria. Wait and see.”
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