The Nigerian Army High Command on Thursday refuted the reports of the purported release of over 1009 ex-Boko Haram fighters to the Borno State government. This was contained in a statement, titled “Reports on the release of Boko Haram fighters in Borno, false,” which was made available to newsmen in Abuja by Director Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu. According to the statement, “the Nigerian Army (NA) has been notified of a media publication alleging that the NA has handed over 1009 ex-Boko Haram fighters to Borno State government. “These cleared suspects are therefore not ex Boko Haram fighters, as peddled in the said online report and as the masterminds would want to impress on the public. “A total of 1009 cleared suspects, not ex-fighters, were therefore released after this rigorous process on Wednesday, 14 July 2021.

Source: Nigerian Tribune July 15, 2021 16:30 UTC