By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS
The Nigerian army has liberated the northeastern Bama town from Boko Haram militants amid reports of heavy civilian casualties.
Bama is the second largest town in the Borno state to be liberated from insurgents after the provincial town of Maiduguri.
"Troops this afternoon finally succeeded in routing terrorists from Bama in Borno state," defense spokesman Chris Olukolade said in a statement Monday night, hours after militants were flushed out of the entire neighboring Yobe state.
"The mission which was accomplished with massive casualty inflicted on the terrorists before the remnant finally fled the town lasted days of careful maneuver and efforts to scale series of obstacles and landmines planted by terrorists who have occupied the town for months," he added.
With Bama slipping out of their hands, Boko Haram now have Gwoza – the headquarters of the their self-styled Islamic caliphate – as the only major town in their control.
Last week, army spokesman Col Sani Usman told The Anadolu Agency that Bama had not fallen – a rebuttal of some reports claiming that the boisterous town had been liberated.
Olukolade said troops have continued their cordon and search operations in the area, while militants fleeing the town are being pursued.
"The Chadian partners in the Multinational Joint Task Force have been mandated to undertake a pursuit of the terrorists who are believed to be heading for the borders after being dislodged from Bama," he said.
"Nigerian troops are continuing with cordon and search of the town and surrounding. Arms and ammunition are being recovered as troops conduct aggressive patrol of the entire vicinity on the looking out for any terrorists who might be stranded or trying to operate elsewhere in the area."
Earlier Monday, Nigerian authorities announced that the northeastern Yobe State was free of Boko Haram militants, a few days after making a similar announcement about the neighboring Adamawa state.
Following years of violence by Boko Haram with largely inefficient response from Nigeria and her neighbors, a joint operation by Chad, Nigeria and Niger was launched on Feb. 14, resulting in almost instant rollback in territorial gains made by the militants.
Tens of thousands have been killed and more than a million displaced as a result of the crisis which began early 2000 as a religious movement but turned bloody in 2009 following the killing in police custody of Boko Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf.
