Nigerian Army Confirms Lieutenant’s Death In Ambush, 6 Terrorists Killed

The Defence Headquarters on Sunday confirmed that an officer lost his life during a recent ambush by terrorists in Borno State, adding six terrorists were killed by the Nigerian military during the attack.

Director of Defence Media Operations Edward Buba said that the attack happened at the Buratai-Buni Gari road, where one lieutenant lost his life and four other personnel were injured. The injured personnel were currently receiving treatment.

Buba added that reinforcements from the troops pursued the terrorists to their hideout within the Timbuktu Triangle and successfully eliminated six of them, adding that the troops recovered five AK-47 rifles and 103 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition during the operation.

"The remaining terrorist ran in disarray and the troops are in hunt of the remnant terrorist that fled the firefight," the Director of Defence Media Operations said, Premium Times reported.

The attacked soldiers belonged to a military base in Buratai, which was part of the Nigerian Army's 27 Task Force Brigade in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State. This brigade was actively involved in combating Boko Haram militants in Northeast Nigeria.

Boko Haram is responsible for bombings, kidnappings and the abduction of schoolgirls in north-eastern Nigeria to herder-farmer conflicts.

According to Buba, Maidawa was in charge of the troops that were leading to buy fuel in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State. The attack took place while they were traveling near Kamuya and Azare villages in the Biu Local Government Area.

He explained that the terrorists took advantage of the forest and poor road conditions to carry out the operation. This attack in Borno occurred shortly after another tragic incident less than a month earlier in Delta State.

Last month, the Nigerian army shared photos and names of soldiers killed on March 14 on social media.

The names were announced just one day after Tinubu said he had given "full authority" to the Nigerian military to bring to justice anybody found to have been responsible for the deadly attack on armed forces in Delta state.

Tinubu said last month that the federal government won't pay any ransom to release kidnapped people and directed security agencies to ensure the return of abducted people in Kaduna and Borno states.