The Brigade Commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade, M. Uba, earlier declared safe by the Nigerian Army after an ambush along the Damboa, Biu axis of Borno State, has now been confirmed dead.
Naijaonpoint reports that Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) announced that it captured and killed the senior officer, releasing photographs to support its claim.
PRNigeria, a platform with strong security sources, also confirmed that the commander was kidnapped and killed after surviving the initial ambush.
On Sunday, HumAngle reported that Uba had been abducted after ISWAP insurgents ambushed his team and Civilian Joint Task Force operatives on Friday night.
But the army dismissed the report, insisting the commander was safe.
In a statement, army spokesperson, Lt. Col. Appolonia Anele, confirmed that troops of the 25 Task Force Brigade came under “sudden and heavy insurgents’ fire” while returning from a routine patrol near the fringes of the Sambisa Forest.
She said four personnel, including two soldiers and two CJTF members, were killed, but described rumours of the commander’s abduction as “a fake narrative.”
ISWAP Publishes ‘Capture And Execution’ Photos
In a counter-statement published in Arabic via its Amaq propaganda channel, ISWAP claimed responsibility for capturing and executing the brigade commander.
The group released a photo collage showing Uba in his office and another showing him in blood-stained combat wear after his alleged capture.
“A picture of the brigade commander from inside his office and a picture of him after he was captured by the Islamic State,” the group captioned the picture.
“Islamic State fighters overthrew a senior officer in the Nigerian army after a successful ambush on a military force in Borno…,” the group said, adding that the commander was captured after “he fled” from the Wajiroko attack.
ISWAP said as soon as it received intel that Mr Uba had escaped, a unit of fighters “set out to search for him, and succeeded in capturing him on Saturday, near a village, after he was wounded.”
Naijaonpoint reports that ISWAP said he was interrogated and “killed on the spot.”
Taunting the military, ISWAP accused the Nigerian Army of issuing “an outright lie and a miserable security failure.”
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