Abuja, Sep 22 (IANS) Authorities in Nigeria Sunday confirmed that some Boko Haram terrorists have begun to surrender voluntarily following relentless onslaught by troops.

At least five terrorists surrendered Saturday with all their weapons to troops in Borno state's Konduga pleading for mercy, Xinhua quoted the Nigerian Defense Headquarters (DHQ) as saying in a statement.

Other captured terrorists who refused to surrender have also been giving useful information on the subsequent plans of the group in an apparent effort to cooperate, the statement added.

In the last few days there had been several attempts by desperate terrorists to gain entry into Konduga which were foiled by the troops.

The terrorists' move, according to the statement, is aimed at recovering the bodies of their prominent fighters who died in previous encounters in the area.

The country's defence authority last Thursday arrested a senior commander of the Boko Haram sect which is blamed for killing hundreds of people since 2009.

The commander, whose identity remain unknown, was captured in a military operation last Wednesday.

Sixty fighters of the Boko Haram were reported killed in series of attacks they launched to gain access to Konduga area of northeast Borno State.

The Boko Haram, an Islamist sect, has proved to be a major security threat in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, in the last five years.