Boko Haram insurgents have allegedly killed an army lieutenant and two vigilante members in an ambush in the Lake Chad area of Borno State on Saturday.
Efforts to reach the military high command for their reaction was not successful as calls to the mobile phone of the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba was not unanswered.
He was also yet to reply to a text message sent to his line as at the time of filing this report last night.
Sources told our correspondents that the attack came after the military takeover of the Boko Haram enclave in Krenowa in Marte LGA, five days ago.
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The military takeover of the enclave, Daily Trust gathered was part of efforts to advance their fight against the terrorists.
However, according to the source, “the soldiers who were from 50 Task Force Brigade came under heavy bombardment at Krenowa, forcing them to withdraw, abandoning 12 out of 15 motorbikes deployed for the operation.”
He said the soldiers numbering more than a hundred and equipped with several gun trucks and other equipment retreated to Marte town.
A soldier indicated that an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) tank was damaged in the attack which occurred around 1am while the driver escaped with a leg injury.
“We took the fight to the terrorists at their hideout when suddenly we came under fire that forced us to retreat. I believe they were hiding underground because there was no sign of them before the ambush. We took shelter at the headquarters of the 27 Task Force in Marte town,” the source narrated.
The source further disclosed that the corpse of the slain officer, a member of the civilian JTF and another vigilante member could not be recovered immediately due to the intensity of the insurgents’ firepower.
