Army commander escapes Boko Haram ambush, soldier killed

The convoy of the acting general officer commanding (GOC) 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu, was ambushed on Tuesday morning by suspected members of Boko Haram, Nigerian Army spokesman Sani Usman said.

Ezugwu was on his way to visit the troops fighting Boko Haram in Bama.

“The leading elements of the Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu’s leading convoy was about 8.30am this morning ambushed by suspected Boko Haram terrorists en route to visit troops in Bama,” Usman said in the statement.

He said that though a soldier was killed by the insurgents and two others injured, they were able to clear the ambush, killing some of the terrorists and recovered a Toyota Hilux vehicle, 2 AK-47 rifles, and several ammunition from the terrorists.

Usman said the acting GOC, in spite of the attack, continued his operational visit to Bama, while the body of the late soldier and the wounded have been evacuated to Maiduguri.

“The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai has also spoken with the GOC,” he said.

“The Nigerian Army wish to reiterate its unalloyed commitment and determination to continue to clear the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists wherever they might be hiding.”