TROOPS of the Nigerian Army under Operation Lafiyà Dole have handed over to the Borno state government,158 sheep and goats, as well as 14 cows recovered from Boko Haram insurgents during a clearing operation along Maiduguri – Dalwa axis in Konduga local government area of Borno state.

At a brief ceremony at the handing over of the  livestock to the Borno state government at Molai Super Camp, Maiduguri, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Abdul Ibrahim, said: “We are here to handover 158 sheep and goats and 14 cows recovered by our troops along Maiduguri- Dalwa axis during operations.”

“All these livestock were recovered by our troops during a clearance operation in January 2020. We are handing over this livestock to the Borno state government based on the directives of the Chief of Army Staff. Lt General Tukur Buratai and the theater Commander, Major General Olusegun Gabriel Adeniyi, for onward handing over to the rightful owners “, Gen. Ibrahim said.

The GOC further said: “we shall continue to work hard and would deal with the insurgents and recover from Boko Haram what belongs to the law-abiding citizens. The government is in a better position to contact and hand over this livestock to their rightful owners “.

He also reiterated the military warning to motorists and commuters plying Maiduguri- Damboa – Biu road not to give a penny to anybody in disguise of providing logistics to the Army, as the Army headquarters has provided them with the needed logistics, as earlier said by the theater commander and re-echoed by the COAS.

Responding on behalf of the Borno state government, Governor Babagana Zulum, thanked the military for sacrificing their lives to keep the state safe, stressing that the government and people of Borno state will forever remain indebted to the military for restoring peace back to the Northeast.

Represented by the Borno state Commissioner for local government and Emirate Affairs, Hon Sugun Mai Mele, Zulum disclosed that: “This is not the first time we are receiving such from the military, the other time we received over 300 cows recovered from Boko Haram by the military along Maiduguri- Auno-Jakana axis, where we invited the leadership of Miyatti Allah cattle breeders Association, where we identified and ascertained their rightful owners and handed over back their livestock, we are going to apply same in this regard”.

He commended the COAS and Operation Lafiya Dole command for reopening the Maiduguri-Damboa-Biu road, as according to him, it will go a long way in easing the hardship faced by the people of southern Borno, as well as Adamawa and Taraba states.