No fewer than 410 members of the Darul Salam terrorist group, including women and children, have surrendered to troops of Operation Whirl Stroke deployed at Uttu in Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, The Nation has learnt.
Troops raided a suspected bomb factory where explosives and improvised explosive device-making materials were recovered.
“This development took place on 25 August 2020,” Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Major-General John Enenche, said in a statement.
The operation followed credible information, Enenche said, adding that items found at the location included two scales, six rocket launcher bombs, one bag of fertiliser, half a bag of gun powder, 10 locally-made hand grenades, one Rocket Propelled Grenade bomb fuse, one locally-made rocket launcher, two Improvised Explosive Devices, and 13 improvised rocket bombs, among others.
The Defence Headquarters also said it had information that bandits terrorising the Northwest were funded from proceeds of illegal mining, which has spiked since the resurgence of banditry.
The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has facilitated the return of a Nigerian nurse who was abducted by the Islamic States West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists and held in captivity since the beginning of the year.
Chief of Military Public Information for MNJTF, Col. Muhammed Dole, disclosed this in a statement issued at Ndjamena Chad and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday.
Dole said the nurse who was incarcerated in one of ISWAP’s strongholds in the Lake Chad bolted to safety and freedom, in the aftermath of a joint air interdiction conducted by the MNJTF and national partners.

By Okodili Ndidi