Mainok: Nigerian Army Confirms Killing Of Commander, Others By Boko Haram

The Nigerian Army has confirmed that a top military commander and some soldiers lost their lives during a recent encounter between troops and Boko Haram terrorists.

The Nigerian Army in a statement on Monday by its spokesperson, Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima said troops came under attack from Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in Mainok, Borno State, and one officer and six soldiers, unfortunately, lost their lives in the encounter.

The Army statement however added that many of the terrorists who launched the attack were killed by the troops who fought gallantly until reinforcement arrived and the insurgents were forced to flee.

The statement confirms an earlier story by Naija News that Boko Haram terrorists might have killed a top commander of the Nigerian Army after the insurgents attacked a military base in Borno State.

Confirming the story, the Army statement on Monday titled “MAINOK: COAS APPLAUDS TROOPS OF OPERATION LAFIYA DOLE FOR THEIR RESILIENCE AND DOGGEDNESS” has it that “On Sunday 25 April 2021, troops of Operation Lafiya Dole deployed in Mainok, Borno State, came under multi-directional attacks by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists mounted on unconfirmed number of Gun Trucks as well as foot soldiers with possible intent of establishing a phantom caliphate in the town.

The terrorists were held by the gallant troops of 156 Task Force Battalion until the arrival of reinforcement teams from 7 Division, Special Army Super Camp Ngamdu and Army Super Camp 4, Benesheik.

During the fire fight which lasted several hours, the gallant troops tactically lured a number of the terrorists into a killing zone within their camp where the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole scrambled Alpha jets and helicopter gunship which took turns in decimating the already trapped terrorists. In the aftermath of the encounter, scores of Boko Haram terrorists were neutralized with their body part littering the area and a number of their gun trucks destroyed.

Regrettably, one gallant Officer and six soldiers paid the supreme sacrifice while 5 other soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries. The wounded soldiers have already been evacuated to the military medical facility for treatment. Currently, troops are in full control of Mainok and environ as exploitation for fleeing terrorists is ongoing.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru has applauded troops of Operation Lafiya Dole for their resilience, commitment and doggedness and further reassured Nigerians of the Army’s unalloyed commitment to defeating Boko Haram/SWAP terrorists while urging citizens to always avail the troops with accurate and timely information for prompt action.”

Meanwhile, the Governor of Niger State, Abubakar Bello, on Monday noted that Boko Haram insurgents are closer to the Federal Capital Territory.

Governor Bello while speaking with people in an Internally Displaced Persons Camp said the terrorists invaded a part of the state after the Federal Government refused to effectively secure the state.

He further stated that he reached out to the Federal Government on different occasions but nothing fruitful came out of the process.

According to Bello, terrorists are trying to make Kaure in Shirroro Local Government Area of the state their headquarters as they did to Sambisa forest in Borno State.

He, however, said while Sambisa forest is several kilometres from Abuja, Kaure is only two hours from the nation’s capital.