The Defence Headquarters said on Monday troops of Operation Lafiya Dole (OPLD) have killed another top commander of Boko Haram, Abu Usamah, at Gorgi area of Borno State.
The Acting Director of Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Benard Onyeuko, said in a statement in Abuja, that the Boko Haram commander was killed on March 22.
According to him, the military communication confirmed by accurate intelligence that Usamah was among Boko Haram insurgents killed during an encounter with troops.
He disclosed that the terror group commander had earlier sustained fatal gunshot wounds in the firefight that ensued during the encounter before his foot soldiers hurriedly evacuated him and withdrew from the scene.
The statement added: “Nevertheless, Abu Usamah died in the process.
“His death has no doubt created a consequential vacuum in the Boko Haram leadership particularly as the gallant troops remain resilient and continue to rout the criminal elements from their last enclaves in the North East.
“It would be recalled that on March 22, troops of OPLD, while conducting a special clearance operation in a subsidiary operation called Operation AYISO TAMONUMA, decimated some key Boko Haram elements in an encounter at Gorgi in Damboa local government area of Borno.
“In our earlier briefing, we reported over 100 Boko Haram insurgents neutralised while scores of them escaped with gunshot wounds.
“This was in addition to several other losses suffered by Boko Haram insurgents.”
