Some of the hostages rescued from Boko Haram in Ngala area

The Nigerian Army said its troops of 3 Battalion, 22 Brigade killed nine Boko Haram hostages and rescued 998 hostages during a fighting patrol in communities in Ngala area of Borno State on Friday.

The Army in a statement signed by its director of public relations, Brigadier General Sanni Usman said the troops also recovered various grades of weapons and destroyed an improvised explosive making factory in during the fighting patrol.

The troops who were assisted by members of civilians JTF administered polio vaccines to all children who are under five years among the rescued hostages.

The full statement by the Army spokesperson reads: “Following confirmed information about the presence of remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in some villages around Ngala, troops of 3 Battalion, 22 Brigade Nigerian Army on Friday along with some Civilian JTF embarked on Fighting Patrol to the area.

“The patrol team had a fierce encounter with the terrorists at  Ndufu which they decisively dealt with before proceeding to clear Muktu and Muzuri, as well as nearby communities within the area.

Gun in one hand, vaccine box on the other: Nigerian troops vaccinate children among the rescued hostages

“Although some of the terrorists fled to various direction on sighting the troops, the patrol team was able to neutralise 9 terrorists, destroyed their Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making factory and rescued 998 persons. Those rescued were 125 at Ndufu, 802 at Muktu and 71 persons at Muzuri. Interestingly, despite the heat of the battle, the troops also vaccinated all children under the age of 5 with Polio vaccinations.

“In addition, the troops recovered 1 AK-47 Rifle with registration number 565231515, an AK-47 Rifle Magazine, 2 Boko Haram terrorist flags, 4 Motorcycles, 2 Solar Panels, 2 already prepared IEDs, Detonating cords and other explosive making components.

“It is gratifying to note that 3 Battalion has maintained its status as one of the best fighting units in the theatre as they did not sustain any casualty or injury during the operation.”