Two days after the release of 344 science schoolboys that bandits kidnapped from Katsina, and herded to Zamfara, the Nigerian military on Saturday gave a lowdown of the process that brought back the hostages, and the damage recorded.
While kinetic and non-kinetic approaches were used to ensure that all the boys were rescued unhurt, the military said there was resistance from the abductors. They ambushed the federal troops.
The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. John Enenche, and a former Director, Military Intelligence, Maj.Gen. Ahmed Jibrin (retd,), gave the accounts on Saturday on a special edition of the Nigerian Television Authority programme, “Good Morning Nigeria.”
Jibrin as the Special Technical Adviser to the Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (retd.).
According to him, following the abduction of the boys, the minister led a delegation, including the Service Chiefs and the National Security Adviser, to Katsina and Kankara.
The minister gave the rules of engagement, directing the troops to ensure that the abducted boys were rescued without casualties and within the shortest time possible.
“Following the directive, the troops closed in on the abductors from four different fronts, including the reinforcement that was made from other divisions, to ensure that the entire location was sealed off,” he said.
“The bandits were all under siege and they were fully aware of that, feeling the impacts of the presence of the troops both from the air and on the ground.
“When they approached the location where the boys were held, the troops encountered some pockets of opposition which they cleared and moved deeper into the forest.
“Although there was no casualty on the part of the boys, a lot of the bandits were neutralised because in the attempt by the military to move forward, they laid ambush in two places along the way.
“In fact, in the second place where they laid ambush, there was serious resistance because they were hiding and had occupied the road.
“They delayed the movement of the troops for some hours before they were neutralised.”
Jibrin said while the troops were on the field, negotiations were ongoing at another level of the rescue efforts.
He said the troops could not completely demobilise the bandits because of possible collateral damage as the abducted boys were used as human shields.
On the claim by the Boko Haram terrorists that they were responsible for the abduction, Jibrin said the group was only seeking cheap relevance.
“(Abubakar) Shekau does not have the reach to carry out the abduction because a lot is being done to stop them in the North-East.
“He is just taking advantage of what happened to get publicity locally and internationally; it is clear that the abduction was done by bandits.
“All their efforts when they were trying to reach out to the bandits, which they did, were monitored,’’ he said.
On his part, Enenche said the rescue mission, like any other one, was a delicate operation because if it was not carried out very professionally, the tide could turn negatively.
“This is an operation where you do not rely on your capacity on platforms and mechanical weapons but your ability to effectively carry out the mission with unarmed combat.
“This means you have to silence your enemies and take your objective away without firing a shot.
“It is very delicate in the sense that if you do not manage the operation well, the children who are in-between you and the enemies will now become the victims.
“When they become the victims, the people outside there will attribute it to failure on the part of your security forces,’’ he said.
President Muhammadu Buhari and Katsina Gov Aminu Masari hosted the rescued boys at the Sate House in Katsina on Saturday.