460 extremist militants surrender to troops in 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, reported Xinhua.

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.

The ISWAP has been collaborating with its sister group Boko Haram to establish an Islamist state in northeast Nigeria. The terror groups have also extended their attacks to other countries in the Lake Chad Basin.