Boko Haram Ambushes Army Commander, Kills One Soldier

Senator Iroegbu
The convoy of the acting General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu, was ambushed yesterday morning by suspected Boko Haram terrorists when he was en route to visit troops in Bama, Borno State.

A statement by the spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Col. Sani Usman, said the ambush resulted in the death of one soldier and two others who sustained injuries from the attack.

However, the army convoy was according to the spokesman, able to clear the ambush, killing some of the terrorists and recovering a vehicle and weapons from them. The recovered items included a Toyota Hilux vehicle, two AK-47 rifles and several rounds of ammunition.

According to Usman, the acting GOC continued his operational visit to Bama, while the body of the late soldier and others wounded were evacuated to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, has also spoken with the GOC after the attack, the statement added.

The Nigerian Army reiterated its unalloyed commitment and determination to continue to clear the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorist wherever they might still be hiding.

The attack on the GOC’s convoy occurred barely 24 hours after the terror group engaged the military in a fierce battle that lasted for several hours in their daring attempt to capture the 113 Battalion at Kareto close to the border with Niger Republic.

Usman also confirmed that two officers and 22 soldiers were wounded in the battle with Boko Haram terrorists in Kareto on Monday.

He said the wounded soldiers were being treated at the Military Hospital in Maiduguri.

The army spokesman said the attack was repelled due to the timely response of the troops and the involvement  of air cover as more reinforcement was deployed.