By UBONG UKPONG, Abuja

The High Command of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), on Thursday, explained that the killing of over 121 innocent citizens in Borno and Katsina States on Wednesday, by terrorists, was a revenge mission.

It held that the attacks were as a result of the operations heats the fighters of Boko Haram, the Islamic States of the West Africa province (ISWAP), and armed bandits, were receiving from troops in the North East and North West respectively.

The High Command, which assured the terrorists that the amnesty programme of government was still open to accommodate repentant terrorists, said that the military had begun deadly operations that would eliminate terrorists, who refuse to surrender.

Major General John Enenche, Coordinator of Defence Media Operations (CDMO), told journalists at a press briefing in Abuja, that the air components of the Nigerian military had over the weekend, bombarded the camps of bandits in Katsina, killing scores of them, just as several fighters of Boko Haram, ISWAP and bandits had continued to be deleted in various operations in the North.

General Enenche held that the attacks on Wednesday, by Boko Haram, where over 81 citizens were killed, village head and six others abducted in a village in Borno state, and 40 citizens killed by bandits in Katsina state, were revenge missions, over the casualties they incurred from various airstrikes.

The CDMO said that an eye witness, a 42 years old man, who was abducted for 62 days by the bandits, and escaped during the Katsina airstrikes, confirmed that scores of the bandits were killed during that singular operation.

General Enenche said that the man had confirmed to the military that some top commanders of the bandits, including one, called “Yellow”, were neutralized during the said air bombardment of the bandits’ camps in Katsina.

The Defence Operations spokesman, therefore insisted that the fleeing bandits decided to carryout that dastardly act on Wednesday against innocent citizens to revenge the damages done to them by troops. (Daily Independent)

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