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Scores of Boko Haram fighters arrested in huge raid by Nigerian armed forces

Two weeks of air and ground offences help to corner members of the group

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The Independent Online
A Nigerian soldier stands guard in a camp for refugees that have been internally displaced by the militant group Getty

Scores of Boko Haram fighters were among 400 people associated with the  extremist group to be arrested by Nigerian soldiers, military authorities in the west African nation said.   

The two-week operation on the islands of Lake Chad netted the largest number of arrests, said Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, adding that the operation included air and ground offensives. 

The military said many Boko Haram insurgents were killed, but it did not give details. 

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Among those arrested were 167 Boko Haram fighters, 67 women and 173 children. The women and children will be handed over to authorities of displacement camps after investigations, the military said. 

Another 57 insurgents were arrested during a separate operation in another part of the troubled region. 

Boko Haram has been blamed for more than 20,000 deaths during its eight-year insurgency, which has spilled over into neighbouring countries and created a vast humanitarian crisis with millions displaced and hungry. 

Human rights groups have expressed concern about the large number of women and children who have been arrested in the fight against Boko Haram, saying most of those detained have been picked up at random and without reasonable suspicion. 

In an effort relieve overcrowded military detention facilities, Nigeria's government in October began the trials of more than 1,600 suspected Boko Haram members behind closed doors at a military barracks.

It was the largest mass trial in the Islamic extremist group's history. 

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

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    Fifteen year old Nigerian refugee Fati, hugs her mother Mariam while carrying her sister, at the Minawao refugee camp in Northern Cameroon

    UNICEF

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    Fifteen year old Nigerian refugee Fati, carry her eight month old sister, who she last seen when she was 3 months old, at the Minawao refugee camp in Northern Cameroon. She was abducted by Boko Haram and spend four months in captivity. She was given to a man and forced to be his wife. She was eventually freed by Cameroonian soldiers and have been reunited with her family in a refugee camp in Cameroon

    UNICEF

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    Nigerian refugee's at the Minawao refugee camp in Northern Cameroon. The conflict in North-East Nigeria prompted by Boko Haram has led to widespread displacement, violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, protection risks and a severe humanitarian crisis. This is one of the fastest growing displacement crisis in Africa – one of the world’s most forgotten emergencies, with little attention from the donor community

    UNICEF

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    Nigerian refugee children at the Minawao refugee camp in Northern Cameroon

    UNICEF

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    Nigerian refugees line up to receive food aid at the Minawao refugee camp in Northern Cameroon

    UNICEF

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    Didja Damna (26) with her daughter, 17 month old Ngarvounsia, as she gets treatment at the Maroua hospital in Northern Cameroon

    UNICEF

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    Didja Damna (26) with her daughter , 17 month old Ngarvounsia, as she gets treatment at the Maroua hospital in Northern Cameroon. Didja have four other children and had her first child when she was sixteen. Ngarvounsia lost weight and have been treated for three day's in hospital and is recovering

    UNICEF

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    Fadi ,the wife of internally displaced Alagi Dubji feed her daughter, Ina Petal( 13 months) a peanut butter supplement, at their home in Maroua in Northern Cameroon. Ina received treatment for malnourishment and is doing well after she was discharged from the hospital. Alagi and his family had to flee from his village near Maroua after Boko Haram fighters burned down his house.Alagi had 40 children with 26 still alive

    UNICEF

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    A malnourished girl gets treatment at the Maroua hospital in Northern Cameroon

    UNICEF

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    More than 135 displacement sites have been noted along the border with Nigeria

    UNICEF

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    Temporary schools in the refugee camp of Kabelewa, counts eight classrooms for 549 pupils. Out of those 549 children, only 12 had already been to school before

    UNICEF

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    As the river continues to dry up in April and May, we expect to see an increase in violence in the Diffa region. Both refugees and internally displaced people are affected by the insecurity, fleeing attacks and also fleeing to safer locations ahead of attacks. Generally noticed is a movement from locations near the border towards the inland area along the main road where spontaneous new sites are being created and host villages' population increasing

    UNICEF

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    Forced displacement in the region of Diffa is becoming regular and is linked to the volatile security situation in the region. Diffa, the Niger's poorest region, has been affected by the consequences of the increased acts of violence in Nigeria, conducted by the armed group Boko Haram, increasingly expanding and targeting the civilian population in Niger - and Diffa region in particular. With water levels starting to fall, the Nigeria-based armed group is seizing the opportunity to cross over the Komadougou River, into Niger from Nigeria

    UNICEF

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    Fatima Abubakar, 13, in Dar Es Salam refugee camp, Lake region of Chad. Fatima lost five family members during the attack of her small village in Nigeria, in the shores of the lake Chad. She now lives in Dar Es Salam refugee camp, in Chad, with her father, mother and 3 siblings, "The table was all set and we were just about to have our breakfast together when the gunshots started outside. We immediately left in panic. I escaped with my mother. We left in two pirogues. My mother’s pirogue had a whole and they put a cloth to stop the water from entering. But they had to come back to shore. I thought I would be forever alone and that my parents were dead. I cried for days. When I met them both days later in Ngouboua (an island in Chad) I couldn’t be happier. I sometimes think about our table, where the breakfast was served, and how the house would be now"

    UNICEF

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    Hafsa Mohammed sews in the UNICEF-supported child friendly space in Dar Es Salam refugee camp, Lake region of Chad. Every child’s future starts with a dream and Hafsa Mohammed, 16, has a very clear idea of what she wants to become. She wants to be a successful businesswoman and own a notions store. She now lives in Daresalam refugee camp, Lake region of Chad. “I have started again to sew. I used to do it back in Nigeria. My parents encouraged me to do it. It will be useful for me to start my own business and I would be happy to teach others as well,” explains Hafsa

    UNICEF

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    Salta Bintou Hassan is 11. She lost her arm after an suicide attack on Bagasola market in October 2015. After spending two months in the hospital of N'Djamena, she is back with her family. Yet, her life will never be the same

    UNICEF

While Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari declared that the extremist group had been "crushed" late last year, the group's leader Abubakar Shekau remains elusive.

Boko Haram has also carried out a growing number of deadly suicide bombings and other attacks in recent months. Many have been carried out by women or children who were abducted and indoctrinated. 

Earlier this week, dozens of Nigerian state governors approved the transfer of $1bn to aid the federal government's fight against Boko Haram, signaling that the announcements of victory over the extremists had come too soon.