The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig Gen Sani Usman on Friday confirmed in Abuja that the Nigerian Army lost an officer and three soldiers in Borno on Thursday when their patrol vehicle ran into a buried IED.
National Daily learnt that the IED was buried by Boko Haram insurgent’s on the road between Kangarwa and Alagarno village.
While confirming the incident on Friday. Brig Gen Usman reiterated that three other soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries, while the patrol vehicle was completely damaged.
Usman, however, said three suspected terrorists who planted the explosive and hid themselves had been fished out and killed.
The army spokesman added that apart from clearance operations, troops stationed at Banki in Borno rendered humanitarian assistance to over 887 Nigerian refugees who returned from Cameroon since Tuesday.
Gen Usman further added that the troops, also on Thursday, handed over Miss Jada Hachaba, who was abducted by the terrorists to her mother at Gulak in Adamawa.
National Daily gathered that Hachaba escaped from the terrorists’ captivity, adding that she was handed over in the presence of the District Head of Gulak. At Buni Yadi in Yobe.
Usman said that troops in the period under review discovered a 122mm D30 unexploded ordinance inside an uncompleted building at the Federal Low Cost Housing Estate noting that the Explosive Ordinance Team was deployed into the scene to detonate the explosive.
It was also learnt that based on credible information, troops arrested two suspected Boko Haram terrorists’ collaborators/informants; Abubakar Ahmed, 23 and Aji Maina, 45, on Wednesday.
“Both were arrested at Garin Gada and Kanamma after painstaking trailing them.
Abubakar Ahmed was said to have been arrested while trying to collect relief materials for onward conveyance to Boko Haram terrorists, while Aji Maina was arrested while on transit at Kanamma enroute Gamari in Niger Republic.”
In similar vein, Usman said that vigilant elements of 8 Division Nigerian Army stationed at Kukawa in northern Borno intercepted two minors on Thursday and identified them as Abubakar Aji, 13 and Isah Mustapha, 12.
It was, however, affirmed that the duo were on spying mission on troops’ location at Kukawa. “On further interrogation, the minors claimed to have been with Boko Haram terrorists in Kangarawa since 2014, spying strategic location for the terrorist,”. he added.
National Daily recalls that apart from Maiduguri metropolis, others towns are without communication and most roads have been planted with mines by the terrorists.