The Nigerian Army had recorded a military victory against Boko Haram as troops of 233 Battalion deployed in Operation Lafiya Dole have reportedly killed scores of Boko Haram insurgents while countering an ambush staged by them along Sasawa Road in Babangida Local Government Area of Yobe State.
The news of the victory was conveyed in a statement by the Deputy Director Public Relations of the Operation Lafiya Dole, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu. He stated that the troops encountered the insurgents at about 12:30 pm on Saturday, while out on a routine patrol in the area
The Colonel explained that the army had received information that the some of the insurgents were going to attack and loot the nearby Babangida market for food and other items. The Boko Haram insurgents however changed their destination when they heard the military patrol and decided to stage an ambush instead.
The colonel confirmed casualties on the side of the Boko Haram insurgents as well as some of its men. Although he did not state it exclusively, the admission of casualties on the part of the military could mean some soldiers paid the supreme price in the ambush.
The colonel added that due to the ambush, “additional troops have been drafted to the area to reinforce the patrol troops, while the Air Task Force is on aerial surveillance of the area to track down fleeing insurgent survivors,”
He also urged the public not to panic as the force is doing all it can to rid the area of the criminal elements.
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According to independent and local news sources, Boko Haram insurgents have been busy lately with attacks of villages and military bases on the fringes of Yobe and Borno states. Some of the sources cited a heavy number of casualties on the side of the Nigeria army.
Boko Haram has two factions in Nigeria of which one is an affiliate of the Islamic State in Syria, Iraq and the Levant, styling itself as Islamic State West Africa. Independent sources say this group can boast of at least 3500 fighters in the North-east alone.
The Nigeria Army has consistently denied the attacks and the controversial casualty figures quoted by these independent sources.
Boko Haram recently circulated a video on social media showing a recent raid on a military base and weapons and equipment including soldiers uniforms belonging to the Nigeria Army being carted away.
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