Boko Haram terrorists who surrendered to Nigerian troops do not understand why they gave in, says the Nigerian army, suggesting that the insurgents did not lay down their weapons willingly.

“Some of the surrendered insurgents will tell you they don’t even understand how they are surrendering and coming out in droves,” said the Theatre Commander, Joint Task Force (North-East) Operation Hadin Kai, Maj.-Gen. Christopher Musa.

Mr Musa stated this while addressing journalists from Abuja on a media tour to Maiduguri to assess the progress made by the army in the fight against insurgency.

The commander added that the theatre of operation had sustained the tempo of its operations to root out the Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists from the North-East.

Mr Musa further explained that the troops had made tremendous achievements since the assumption of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya and his appointment as the theatre commander.

According to him, the operation started in 2009, and any operation that lasts more than a decade has a serious issue.

“It is the intention of the chief of army staff to see that they put an end to the menace,” added the theatre commander. “A lot of innocent lives have been lost, and developmentally. The region has gone backwards many years, and it will take a long time before it can recover.”

Mr Musa also solicited the support of the media and the public, especially the locals, to make it difficult for the terrorists to operate.