How We Rescued Kankara Schoolboys - Military

The Nigerian Military has disclosed how it conducted its rescue operation of the abducted Kankara schoolboys.

Appearing on the Good Morning Nigeria Programme on the National Television Authority (NTA), the Coordinator of defence Media Operations, John Enenche, alongside a former Director of Military Intelligence, Ahmed Jibrin, who is also the Special technical Adviser to the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, disclosed that the military laid ambush to the bandits, neutralising some, careful not to hurt any of the schoolboys.

Enenche said, “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.

“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.

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“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.”

Debunking the claims by Boko Haram that the group was behind the abduction, Jibrin said, “(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."

Enenche noted that the operation had to be done in an almost clinical manner, in an effort to leave the schoolboys unharmed.

He said, “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."