Chief of Army Staff, General Azubuike Ihejirika
The Nigerian Army has declared that three decommissioned aircraft and two helicopters were incapacitated in the cause of today’s pre-dawn Boko Haram attacks in Maiduguri, hotbed of the Boko Haram insurgency.
The admission came only a few hours after President Goodluck Jonathan held a meeting with Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Alex Badeh; and the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki.
In a statement in Abuja, the Director of Defence Information, Brig-Gen. Chris Olukolade, said the military killed 24 fighters of the Boko Haram sect, while two Air force personnel were injured.
Reiterating that the security forces repelled the pre-dawn attack, he said that military locations such as Nigerian Air Force base and some Nigerian army locations in Maiduguri had been targeted.
“Security forces are in pursuit of the terrorists in the Djemtillo general area along the Maiduguri/Banishek axis,” the statement also said. “Movements in Maiduguri and environs have been restricted. Citizens are enjoined to report any of the fleeing insurgents, most of who could be identified with gunshot wounds whenever they are sighted.”
He also announced that flights have resumed at the Maiduguri Airport, but it could not independently confirm the claim owing to the security situation in Maiduguri, which has been virtually cut off from the rest of the country during the state of emergency.
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