Two minors escape terrorist enclave, surrender to troops in Gwoza
By: Zagazola Makama
Two minors, aged 14 and 10, who were reportedly living with suspected terrorists have escaped from their enclave in the Mandara Mountains and surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
The children, identified as Abdullahi Usman, 14, and Usman Hamba, 10, surrendered at about 9:35 a.m. on Sept. 11 to troops of 192 Battalion conducting picketing and fighting patrols along the Gwoza–Limankara road.
Preliminary interrogation revealed that the two minors escaped from the enclave of suspected terrorists identified as Kwatarra in the Mandara Mountains.
The children reportedly told troops that severe hardship and difficult living conditions inside the terrorists’ camp forced them to escape and seek safety.
Troops recovered one Calus mobile phone from the minors and subsequently subjected them to proper screening and documentation.
Efforts are ongoing to establish contact with their relatives and reunite the children with their families.
The development provides another grim indication of the difficult conditions reportedly faced by civilians and family members trapped within terrorist enclaves in the Mandara Mountains.
Troops continue to maintain pressure on terrorist hideouts and movement corridors around the Gwoza axis as part of ongoing operations under Operation Desert Sanity V.
The general security situation across the theatre remains calm but unpredictable, while troops maintain satisfactory morale and operational readiness.
