Scores of hostages freed from Boko Haram: Nigeria army

“The attack happened around 6:30 am (0530 GMT) as the grocers were arriving in the market which starts early”, said Babakura Kolo, a vigilante helping the Nigerian army combat Boko Haram jihadists in the region.

An army spokesman says 101 of those freed are children, along with 67 women and 10 men. “They are determined to build on the successes achieved so far”. “Many” Islamists were killed, the military said, without elaborating. Thirteen people were killed in an assault on Malari village about 20 kilometers from Maiduguri.

Nigerian troops participating in Operation “Lafiya Dole (Peace Is A Must)” which responsible for clearing the activities of Boko Haram terrorists in the northeast rescued another 178 people held captive by terrorists in 9 camps.

Boko Haram’s bloody insurgency in Nigeria alone has left more than 15,000 people dead since 2009.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s new Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has promised that the Nigerian army under his watch will restructure its operations to effectively tackle the insurgency ravaging the North eastern part of the country.

Boko Haram was also accused of attacking the town of Gamboru on Saturday, near the border with Cameroon.

Umar Babakalli, a refugee from Gamboru who fled to the nearby Cameroonian town of Fotokol several months ago, said he saw fighter jets circling overhead “but there was no sign of any bombardment”.

The force is to comprise 8,700 troops from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin.