ABUJA, April 7 (Xinhua) -- A senior commander of the extremist group Boko Haram has surrendered to troops in the heat of ongoing anti-terror operations in Nigeria's northeast region, the military confirmed on Thursday.
The terrorist commander, identified as Saleh Mustapha, was a leader of the Boko Haram in Bama area, one of the frequently attacked locations in the northeastern state of Borno, said Bernard Onyeuko, a spokesman for the military, who addressed reporters in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.
Onyeuko said Mustapha surrendered to the troops on Tuesday, explaining the military had intensified anti-terror operations in that part of the country since March 25.
According to the military official, a total of 51,114 terrorists and their families had surrendered so far due to the intense military operations. Out of the figure, 24,335 are children, while 11,398 are men and 15,381 women.
Onyeuko, however, declined to state when exactly the terrorists' surrender began.
He said all surrendered terrorists had been documented and handed over to the appropriate authorities for further action.
Boko Haram has been collaborating with its sister group, the Islamic State West Africa Province, to establish an Islamist state in northeast Nigeria. The terror groups have also extended their attacks to other countries in the Lake Chad Basin. ■
