All exits from the town were sealed and the residents were allowed to leave under close scrutiny from the security officials. But suspicions were raised when some of the droves of “women” leaving the town under supervision were sporting thick, bushy jihadi beards and huge feet within their sandals. The militants even claimed they were females to the bemused security officials.
Several of the militant fighters had donned colourful women’s attire but refused to remove their beards. Nigerian troops set fire to many of the vehicles being used by the militants to transport the insurgents from the town and into the relevant safety of the baron countryside in north-eastern Nigeria.
A statement released by Major General Chris Olukolade said:
The searches are also yielding more discoveries of arms especially bombs hidden in various locations, especially Baga town
The humiliation for the Islamic fighters was completed when the security services made the cross-dressing fighters parade in front of the press. However, with Nigerian presidential elections due in March, security services were keen to flush out any unlawful activities and disorder caused by Islamic militants. The presidential elections in Nigeria were expected to take place on February 14 but have been postponed until March 28 because of Boko Haram insurgencies.
