Terrorist group, Boko Haram may have shifted to its focus to attacking military targets and officers instead of civilian targets going by the frequency of targets on soldiers in recent times, National Daily investigation has revealed.
This trend, National Daily gathered, may not be unconnected with the group’s desperate effort to stay relevance following its decimation by the military since the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari took office in 2015.
The investigation revealed that the frequency of attacks on military targets has been on the rise in the last two months.
The recent happened on Thursday, 30th of August when the group attacked a military base in Zari, Borno state, allegedly killing 30 soldiers, the highest casualties in recent times.
The soldiers were said to have withdrawn following the heavy assault while the insurgents carted away “weapons abandoned by fleeing troops”.
“We lost many soldiers in the duel and many of them are still missing because they are yet to return to the Damasak base,” a military source was quoted as saying. “We equally lost weapons to the attackers.”
The alleged assault on the troops is coming on the heel of the ambush on a group of soldiers from 133 special force battalion about two weeks ago between Yobe and Adamawa border.
Recall that two weeks after ambushing a military convoy comprising 11 vehicles at Boboshe village in Bama local government area of Borno state where no fewer than 23 soldiers were at first reported missing, the terrorist group also staged another attack on July 22, 2018 on troops stationed in Babangida community in the Tarmuwa Local Government Area of Yobe State.
Nigerian troops also lost five soldiers to the insurgency along the Pridang-Bita road in Borno, on the 31st of May, after their vehicle stepped on Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
According to the spokesman of the Army, Texas Chukwu, the incident, which occurred in Gworza Local Government Area, happened when troops of 271 Task Force Battalion fought through an ambush staged by Boko Haram terrorists.
The army has been battling to defeat the Boko Haram, whose activities have caused about 100,000 deaths since 2009, according to the Borno government.
Efforts by security agencies have successfully limited the insurgents to the three North-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
In the past, the terror group carried out attacks and bombings in other parts of Northern Nigeria including Abuja and Kano.