A high-ranking Boko Haram deputy commander, Awana Alhaji Mele Keremi, has surrendered to the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), a regional military unit made up of troops from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria, formed to address the security threats in the Lake Chad Basin. Keremi, who was the right-hand man to a notorious Boko Haram leader, admitted to being involved in numerous terrorist activities.
In addition to Keremi’s surrender, MNJTF troops also welcomed Babagoni Modu, a former Boko Haram member, along with a family of eight who managed to escape from a terrorist camp in Marte. Modu explained that he became disillusioned with the group’s violent actions, which led him to flee.
Lieutenant Colonel Olaniyi Osoba, the MNJTF’s Chief Military Information Officer, described these surrenders as a “major breakthrough” in the fight against terrorism. He emphasized that “these recent developments underscore the commitment of the MNJTF to combat terrorism and safeguard the Lake Chad region.”
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
