Nigerian Army troops of the 112 Battalion deployed at Ajiri in Borno State on Sunday successfully repelled a deadly Boko Haram attack on their location, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report.
Military insiders familiar with the matter said the terrorists descended on the location held by Company E of the battalion in high number on several gun trucks and machine guns.
On arrival at the location at about 8:40 am, the Boko Haram terrorists launched a vicious attack on troops, who, fortunately, were on alert, our sources said.
The exchange of gunfire was so serious that the Nigerian soldiers had to retreat for a while to restrategize. But as soon as reinforcement poured in from the battalion headquarters not far away, a counter-attack was launched.
The Nigerian soldiers opened fire on the terrorists, killing an unconfirmed number of them and wounding several others. The remaining terrorists simply fled the location.
Unfortunately, the Nigerian troops lost one officer, a major (name withheld) and six members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) attached to that detachment.
As they fled, the Boko Haram terrorists made away with some weapons, include one anti-aircraft gun, 81 MM mortar and two AK 47 rifles belonging to the slain officer and a lance corporal.
Apart from stealing four Toyota Hilux vans belonging to the Army and Civilian JTF, the terrorists also burnt down nine houses.
The spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Mohammed Yerima, confirmed the incident but claimed only two casualties were recorded.
“The retreating terrorists went away with various degrees of gunshot injuries while the gallant troops are on their chase’, Mr Yerima, a brigadier general, said in a statement on Monday.
