File photo: Nigerian troops patrolling in the streets of the remote northeast town of Baga, Borno State.
The Nigerian Defence Headquarters on Friday evening announced that Nigerian troops combing the Buni Yadi Local Government Area of Yobe State, north-eastern Nigeria for Boko Haram insurgents have discovered a bomb-making factory, where improvised explosive devices, IEDs, used by the terrorists were being produced.
Buni Yadi is one of the local government areas that have been recovered from the Boko Haram sect by the Nigerian Army.
“A large quantity of IEDs including those commonly used by suicide bombers were recovered from the site,” the Defence Headquarters said in a statement posted on its website.
The factory, which was located in a fertilizer company, has also converted some of the materials therein for production of all types of IEDs, the statement said adding that “troops are still evacuating the materials which include a large quantity of suicide bomber vests from the facility to their base.
The statement expressed belief that the heavy calibre bomb used in blowing up the bridge between Damaturu and Buni Yadi was produced in the factory.
The terrorists were sacked from Buni Yadi after a military assault that was conducted last Saturday. The troops advance was delayed by the series of IEDs planted on the highway leading to Buni Yadi.
Four soldiers died from such IEDs in the course of the operation to clear terrorists from the town.
This discovery is expected to degrade the capability of terrorists in the production of explosives, which they have been using lavishly in the area until they were dislodged from their stronghold, according to the statement.