2 dead as Nigerian Army battles Boko Haram in Madagali

A gun battle between soldiers and members of the Boko Haram led to the death of two of the insurgents, the Nigerian Army has said.

The Commanding Officer in charge of 28 Taskforce Battalion, Mubi, Adamawa, V. O. Ezugwu, who stated this on Wednesday, also said 16 families were rescued in the encounter in Adamawa State.

Mr. Ezugwu, a Brigadier General, told journalists in a telephone interview in Yola that the success was recorded on Tuesday night during an encounter with the insurgents in Madagali Local Government Area of the state.

Mr. Ezugwu said more than 100 cows were recovered alongside two AK 47, six grenade, two pump action machine guns and 18 motorcycles from the fleeing insurgents.

He said the motorcycles were all destroyed.

The officer lauded the complementary effort of vigilante members in the area for their support to the military.

Of recent, Boko Haram insurgents had been attacking villages in Madagali Local Government Area.

Commenting on the development, Adamu Kamale, the lawmaker representing Madagali/Michilka Federal Constituency, commended the effort of the troops and urged the Federal Government to urgently deploy more troops to the area to effectively check the renewed menace of the insurgents.

Hundreds of people have been killed in attacks by the Boko Haram since May 29 when President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn into office. Before then, about 20,000 had been killed in Boko Haram-related attacks.

Renewed efforts by the military has seen it recapture several territory previously taken by the insurgents.