At least 16 Boko Haram terrorists have been killed by troops at the Mairari, a village in Monguno Local government area of Borno State.
The Deputy Director of Public Relations, Theatre Command Operation Lafiya Dole, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, said on Sunday that the success was recorded on Friday evening when the soldiers deployed in the Forward Operational Base (FOB) along Mairari in Monguno had an encounter with the insurgents and recovered two gun trucks from them.
“The insurgents in three vehicles, including gun trucks, had infiltrated and attacked the community when troops at the FOB were alerted by locals.
“The troops supported by the Air Task Force swiftly responded to the attack, killing 16 insurgents and capturing two gun trucks abandoned by the insurgents, as they tried to escape having been overwhelmed by the superior firepower from the troops,” Nwachukwu said.
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He added that the troops recovered 163 rounds of Anti-Aircraft Gun Ammunition from the insurgents.
However, he disclosed that four civilians and a soldier sustained injuries in the encounter.
He said the injured were promptly evacuated to a military hospital in the state where they were receiving medical attention.
Nwachukwu noted that the operational base was consequently reinforced with additional troops while fighting patrols were on the trail of the insurgents who fled the attack.
He added that normalcy has been restored in the village and urged the people of Monguno LGA to go about their normal business without fear.
The army also urged the people to remain vigilant and report any suspicious person or activity to the nearest security agency.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
