Those who surrendered consist of 13 men, 43 women and children.

No fewer than 69 Boko Haram terrorists and their families have surrendered to the Multinational Joint Task Force authorities in Cameroon and Niger in a fresh operation.

This is contained in a statement by the spokesperson of the task force, Abubakar Abdullahi, in a statement from Ndjamena, Chad, and issued in Maiduguri on Tuesday.

"We facilitated the surrender of 69 Boko Haram terrorists and rescued several family members from hideouts between July 1 and July 6, 2024," he said.

Mr Abdullahi, a lieutenant-colonel, said that terrorists surrendered during combined maritime operations between Cameroonian and Nigerian forces.

According to him, the surrendered groups consist of 13 men, 43 women and children.

"On the same day, 12 family members of the terrorists comprising five women and seven children were rescued.

"Both the surrendered individuals and the rescued family were handed over to the troops of Sector 1, Operation Hadin Kai in Gamboru and Banki for further action," Mr Abdullahi said.

He further said that the troops of sector 4 in Niger Republic had on 1 July received a 24-year-old terrorist, Tijjani Muhammad, who surrendered with one AK-47 rifle, four magazines, and numerous 7.62mm rounds.

The information officer added that Mr Muhammad had escaped from Boko Haram camp, located at Libye Soroa, following pressure mounted by the Operation Lake Sanity II.

He explained that the increasing number of those who surrendered had significantly weakened Boko Haram's operational capability and the morale of the remaining fighters.

The army advised other terrorists to lay down their arms and surrender for lasting peace in the Lake Chad basin region. (NAN)