The Nigerian Army Has Openly Apologized for Giving out False Information on Boko Haram Ambush
The Nigerian Army has publicly apologized for declaring that certain geologists from the University of Maiduguri, together with some officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the Lake Chad region, who were attacked by members of Boko Haram, were rescued, which turned out to be false. The military had reported then to have rescued all the NNPC workers who were carrying out a survey on oil exploration in the Lake Chad and that nine of its soldiers were killed during the ambush. But the claim that all the workers were rescued turned out to be false. Thus, the Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen Sani Usman had come out to declare that the earlier information on the incident about the rescue was regrettable and that it was not deliberate.
Usman’s statement read: “The incident of 25th July 2017 where some Boko Haram terrorists ambushed our troops including members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) escorting some staff of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as well as that of University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) on oil exploration in Borno Yesu District of Magumeri Local Government Area of Borno State is unfortunate and highly regrettable.
“Most regrettable also is my earlier release on the said incident about the rescue of all NNPC staff. The error in the statement was not deliberate. The Nigerian Army in this present dispensation is reputed for timely dissemination of information on activities of our troops in all theatre of operations. We have strived to keep the public informed on our activities with no intention of distorting any fact.”
He further reiterated that; “So far the search and rescue team has recovered additional bodies of five soldiers, 11 Civilian JTF and five members of the exploration team.
“Contrary to reports in some media, six members of exploration team out of 12 that went out are still missing, while one of the NNPC staff returned to base alive.
“On the other hand, our pursuit team also recovered 2 of our own gun trucks and an additional Toyota Buffalo Gun truck from the insurgents. The team also made the following recoveries; 4 rocket propelled grenade bombs, 4 rocket propelled grenade chargers, 6 AK-47 rifles, 1 anti-aircraft gun, 1 general purpose machine gun,1 anti-aircraft gun barrel, 1 rocket propelled grenade tube, 4 dane guns, 8 tyres and 2 tyre rims.
“Other items recovered include 1 pumping machine, 2 tyre jacks, 1 super battery, 5 reflective jackets, 3 Toyota Hilux vehicles, 4 jerry cans filled with petrol, 1 Motorola radio, 1 Geographical Positioning System (GPS), 21 empty jerry cans, 2 shovels and 3 food coolers.”
Ajid, a survivor of the attacks, who is still on the hospital bed of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) informed that over a hundred Boko Haram insurgents participated in the three-hour ambush. He said, “It was terrifying and horrific for the insurgents to overwhelm soldiers and other security personnel escorting us to the Jilli-Bornoyesu axis of Magumeri. Boko Haram has superior firepower, when compared to our soldiers in the escort convoy.” He further narrated fearfully that, 33 members of Civilian JTF were killed. He said the soldiers in the “oil exploration escort” did their best to contain the attack but because they were few, they were overpowered by Boko Haram superior firepower that came from all directions.
Meanwhile, Governors Fayose and Shettima have expressed different views concerning the attack. While Shettima views the attack as a tragic setback to the fight against Boko Haram and the efforts to boost Nigeria’s economic fortunes, Fayose has boldly declared that the brutal killings by Boko Haram all over the place expose the lie of the Federal Government’s assertion that it has won the battle against insurgency. According to Fayose, it was a matter of regret that corruption in the military, under the very nose of a government which claims to be fighting corruption, “has degraded the military and defeated our gallant soldiers that they are no longer able to stand up against Boko Haram, not to talk of defeating the insurgents.
“Transparency International’s revelation that the military inflate contracts to siphon money meant for the war efforts explains why the insurgents are waxing stronger and remain undefeatable.
“The war against insurgency has become a conduit for the siphoning of the resources of this country. Boko Haram is now the pot of soup or ‘amnesty’ largesse of the APC government. They keep pulling the wool over the eyes of the gullible with their lip-service commitment to the war against corruption and insurgency. But come 2019, they will know that the people are not deceived,” he added.
The army has however, sympathized with the families of all who lost their lives in the incident. “What the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists are doing are pure criminal activities of kidnapping to gain funds. This has been noted and will be jointly addressed in conjunction with other security services,” the minister had assured.
