Weapons Found In Burnt Church, Nigerian Military Says

The Nigerian Defense Headquarters said today that
security officials had found and seized weapons
stashed away by terrorists in a burnt church.
The military said the arrest of a terrorist who
claims to be a Cameroonian and an arms courier
for the unidentified terrorist group has led to the
discovery of a large cache of arms and ammunition
hidden in the premises of a burnt church in
Kalabalge local government area of Borno State.
A statement released in Abuja by the DHQ
spokesperson, Major General Chris Olukolade, said
that the recovered weapons include anti-aircraft
guns, rocket-propelled guns as well as other
brands of machine guns. The weapons were
reportedly found buried in the premises of one of
the churches earlier burnt by terrorists. Also
recovered from the location were thousands of
various rounds of ammunition and links.
The military spokesman claimed that the middle-
aged man who led troops on the cordon and
search operation that yielded the weapons was
one of the terrorists captured in a recent raid. He
said the detained terrorist also disclosed that the
weapons were stockpiled for use in a pending
attack on some communities along the Nigeria-
Cameroon border. The weapons have all been
evacuated while security patrols are being
maintained at the location and surrounding areas.
Meanwhile, General Olukolade said that troops
have continued to carry out various operations as
part of a broad counter-terrorist campaign.
The military statement added, "The caves of a
particular mountain captured overnight [are]
undergoing a thorough search for terrorists who
are believed to have fled there in the wake of the
ongoing offensive on various terrorist enclaves.
Arms are also the object of the cordon and search.
"The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General
Kenneth Minima has been checking on deployment
and troops disposition in various locations of the
theater of the counter-terrorist campaign in
Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.
"The army chief, who is in company of his Air
force counterpart, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu,
also visited troops who were wounded in the
course of the operation so far, in the Military
Hospital in Maiduguri. The Chiefs were assured by
the commander of the hospital, Brigadier General
Okeke, that most of the wounded soldiers were in
stable condition [and] that some who have
recovered very well expressed their desire to
rejoin their units and colleagues in the operation.
The army chief however directed that the hospital
should not hesitate to let him know the requirement
for any case requiring referral or further treatment
anywhere.
"The service chiefs are also undertaking a
comprehensive air surveillance of the entire
mission area in addition to the direct inspection of
some key locations where operations are being
conducted. They told reporters who accosted them
for separate interviews while in Maiduguri that they
were satisfied with the state and performance of
the deployment so far, noting that substantial
expectations of the counter-terrorist campaign
were being achieved."
By Gbagan Reporter
Photo of Defence spokesman, Maj. General Chris
Olukolade