23 Nigerian soldiers, 8 trucks missing after Boko Haram ambush

No fewer than 23 Nigerian soldiers are yet to be accounted for after Boko Haram insurgents ambushed a military convoy at Boboshe village in Bama local government area of Borno. Five officers, 18 soldiers and 8 trucks were missing after the attack which occurred early on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the military, acting on intelligence, mobilised troops in a convoy of 11 trucks to clear the insurgents from the deserted village.

The attacking insurgents were believed to have been those who escaped the ongoing offensive by the military to flush out the Boko Haram terrorists in the fringes of Sambisa Forest and Lake Chad region.

A competent military source, told NAN that the insurgents in their hundreds ambushed the troops and in the process many of them have been missing.

He disclosed that only three of the 11 trucks deployed to the area returned to their base in Maiduguri, after suffering huge loss in the battle with the insurgents.

“There was a quick response by the army when they received reports that hundreds of the insurgents gathered at Boboshe on Maiduguri-Konduga-Bama road.

“The gallant soldiers were ambushed by the insurgents, only three of the 11 trucks returned to the base.

“It is not clear what happened but it was assumed the soldiers were missing following the ambush,” he added.

– NAN/Guardian