By Ebitonye Akpodigha
Some suspected members of Boko Haram on Saturday laid an ambush of the Operation LAFIYA DOLE troops carrying out clearance operations on their hideouts in Talala and Ajigin, southern part of Borno State, and killed five of them.
A statement by Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, Acting Director Army Public Relations, disclosed that the terrorists ambushed the soldiers at Ugundiri village in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State, while returning to base after the clearance operations.
Also, during the ambush, three vigilantes and one Civilian JTF lost their lives, while 19 soldiers and one Civilian JTF sustained various degrees of injuries.
The corpses of the soldiers and civilians have been evacuated to Maiduguri while the injured are receiving commensurate medical care and are in stable condition.
Meanwhile, the troops destroyed the terrorists’ gun truck and recovered two Anti-Aircraft guns, two spare Gun barrels, one General Purpose Machine Gun, one Rocket Propelled Grenade, one AK-47 Rifle and 320 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.
Soldiers have been mobilized into blocking positions to further neutralize fleeing Boko Haram terrorists.
Also, another set of troops had earlier cleared Zira, Abulam, Dusula, and Buk villages before returning to base in Bulabulin.
In a related development, based on information received about gathering of some suspected Boko Haram terrorists around Bori village, which is 16 kilometres away from Mainok, outskirts of Maiduguri, troops swung into action and neutralized them.
The troops recovered three motorcycles, one hand grenade, one round of 7.62mm ammunition, Solar panel, a pair of Niger Republic military camouflage uniform, one Gionee mobile telephone handset, one wet cell battery and half bag of groundnut.
Adedapo Adesanya