Hundreds of militants surrender to troops in NE Nigeria

A total of 466 extremist militants have surrendered to troops in Nigeria's northeast region in the past two weeks, the military said Thursday.

The militants of the Boko Haram and Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP) groups surrendered during various operations carried out by troops between Feb. 10 and Thursday, Bernard Onyeuko, a spokesman for the military, told reporters in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.

Among them were 120 adult males, 137 adult females, and 209 children, Onyeuko said, noting the troops had sustained land and air raids during the period. Some 26 suspected criminals were also arrested.

"The surrendered terrorists and arrested criminals have been properly documented and handed over to the appropriate security agencies for necessary action," he said.

The surrendered terrorists claimed that they had lost interest in the Boko Haram terrorists' ideology, according to the spokesman.

Few days ago, the Nigerian army carried out airstrikes that killed dozens of terror fighters and their commanders in the northern part of the West African country.