Four officers have lost their lives in a fresh ambush by jihadists on security forces in northeastern Borno state, according to a statement by the Acting Director Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Appolonia Anele, on Saturday.
Troops of 25 Task Force Brigade, on routine patrol to secure communities around Wajiroko in Azir Multe, Damboa LGA of Borno State, “came under a sudden and heavy insurgents’ fire while returning from a successful patrol” within the fringes of Sambisa Forest, the statement said in part.
The patrol team, which was led by the Commander 25 Brigade Brigadier General M Uba and comprised troops of 25 Task Force Brigade and members of Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), was said to have “courageously fought through the insurgents’ ambush with superior firepower, forcing them to withdraw in disarray and to abandon their mission.
However, during the encounter, “two brave soldiers and two heroic CJTF members paid the supreme price while on active service to the nation.”
While commending the troops for their gallantry, the Army high command commiserates with families and associates of the deceased gallants for their heroic sacrifice to the nation.