By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS
Nigerian authorities on Wednesday warned that Boko Haram militants may be infiltrating camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country's restive northeastern region.
"Because of the heavy bombardment of various Boko Haram hideouts, there has been a massive dispersal of these elements to various locations – including numerous IDP camps from which many of them have been smoked out and arrested," Mike Omeri, head of Nigeria's National Information Center on Counter-terrorism, told reporters in Abuja.
"Therefore, people living in relatively peaceful places in and around the northeastern region – and, in fact, all Nigerians – are urged to be vigilant and promptly report strange faces and movements to the security authorities," he said.
Earlier Wednesday, the Nigerian military announced that over 300 Boko Haram fighters had been killed over the last two days in army operations, which, it said, had also liberated at least 11 towns in the region from the group's control.
Since 2009, Nigeria has battled a fierce Boko Haram insurgency that has ravaged the country's volatile northeast and left thousands dead.
A seemingly emboldened Boko Haram recently stepped up its militant activity, seizing several areas of Nigeria's Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, where it has declared a self-styled "Islamic caliphate."
Omeri, for his part, praised the regional cooperation that he said had led to the "appreciable suppression" of Boko Haram's fighting abilities.
He also welcomed the reported readiness on the part of the U.S. to help train a regional force to combat the militant group.
Boko Haram has recently carried out attacks in Niger, Cameroon and Chad, prompting the three countries – along with Nigeria – to launch a joint counter-terrorism campaign endorsed by the African Union and other regional bodies.
