Two soldiers also died during the raid.
The operation was launched on Friday on a location where some Boko Haram men were found and “we exchanged fire with them and about 50 of them died in the crossfire. We also lost two of our soldiers while three were injured,” said army spokesman Lt Colonel Sagir Musa.
Earlier that day, at least seven explosions occurred in different parts of the city, just five hours after the departure from there of President Goodluck Jonathan.
He was in Damaturu and Maiduguri on Thursday and Friday to personally assess the destruction wrought by Boko Haram on Yobe and Borno States, the epicentre of the activities of the sect.
At a meeting with eminent citizens of Borno at Government House, Maiduguri on Friday, the President dismissed suggestions by the stakeholders to withdraw the soldiers from the state.
He said he would grant their request only if they agreed to sign a pact with him that he should hold them responsible for any death caused by terrorists after the exit of the troops.
He expressed disappointment that while terrorism is decreasing in Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi and Niger, it has not in Borno, saying “So, if you elders will not condemn it (Boko Haram activities), you will continue to suffer under the terror of Boko Haram.”
Human Rights Watch said in a report released last year that soldiers may have committed crimes against humanity during operations aimed at crushing the insurgency.
The military has been accused of firing on unarmed civilians and razing neighbourhoods following suspected Islamist attacks, while Maiduguri residents also face roadblocks and rolling curfews in several areas.
“We always tell the soldiers to conduct themselves” professionally, Jonathan said at the Maiduguri town hall meeting.
THE NATION