How Niger Troops Rescued Nigerian Soldiers After Deadly Boko Haram Attack

New revelation about how Nigerian soldiers were
recently rescued after being struck hard by the deadly
Boko Haram terror sect, has been made.

It has been revealed that Nigerian soldiers have
recently come under heavy fire from Boko Haram.
A report by Premium Times has shown that no fewer
than 22 Nigerian soldiers are currently recuperating in
a hospital in neighbouring Niger Republic after they
came under heavy firepower from the Boko Haram
insurgents.
The deadly incident reportedly occurred on Monday.
According to PremiumTimes, a top military source
familiar with the development revealed on Wednesday
that the troops were manning an outpost in Gashigar,
Borno State, near the border with Niger, when hundreds
of terrorists advanced rapidly towards them, forcing the
troops to abandon their position with some diving into
the nearby river.
The Nigerian Army had on Tuesday distributed a
statement announcing the assault on Nigerian troops,
but blamed it on “escaping Boko Haram remnants.”
But a day after the statement, which was signed by
Sani Usman, a colonel, details of what actually
transpired on the battlefield that day and the reaction
of commanders on the ground have been exclusively
obtained by Premium Times.
According to the security source, the soldiers, attached
to 145 Task Force Battalion, came under attack around
5:00 p.m. on Monday, but rescue operation did not
yield result until the next day.
On that Tuesday, three rescue operations were carried
out by the Nigerien soldiers who were operating in
Ngarwa.
Around 7:00 a.m., they rescued the first set of nine
Nigerian soldiers. At about 2:00 p.m., seven more were
rescued. The last set of six troops was rescued around
5:30 p.m. in the River Komadougou Yobe, which
empties into Lake Chad through Niger.
The troops, numbering 22, were dispatched to Diffa
General Hospital in Niger. Two of them sustained
gunshot wounds while the rest were said to have been
rescued unscathed.
The casualty figure was yet to be determined as at the
time of filing this report.
The source said the troops have started recounting the
incident to their superiors.
The soldiers said they were manning their post in
Gashigar when they learnt that suspected terrorists,
dressed in black and multi-coloured camouflage, were
approaching in several utility trucks while chanting
‘Allah Akbar!’ (Allah is great).
“Troops then had to flee from their position because of
their their inability to take on the terrorists in such a
large number and firepower,” the source said.
“The terrorists then began chasing them, and we learnt
that many jumped into the Yobe River where some of
them drown or get fatally shot by the attackers.”
The soldiers also said Boko Haram seized their
armoured vehicle and set it alight.
But the source said the military leadership might open
an investigation into the attacks to establish the
claims of the soldiers.
The source said some of the assertions made by the
troops were somewhat dicey.
For instance, the commanders said It is difficult to
explain how utility trucks were used to dispossess
soldiers of their armoured vehicles especially when the
soldiers said they were standing alerted in their
position.
The leadership also found it curious that the soldiers
were rescued with their bullets still largely unspent.
“If they actually came under attack while they were fully
at alert, then they should have exhausted their
ammunition before taking to their heels,” the source
said. “At least that much should be clear.”
Premium Times reports that Mr. Usman did not respond
to requests for comments.
Nigerian troops are fighting alongside their
counterparts from Cameroon and the Republic of Niger.
Monday’s development marked the first time in more
than two years that Nigerian troops will come under
superior firepower that required foreign military
personnel to come to their rescue.
A similar incident last occurred in August 2014 when
about 480 troops crossed the border into Cameroon
while fleeing Boko Haram.
It also underscored the renewed vigour of the sect to
launch major attacks on not just civilians but
uniformed men after losing the huge swathes of land it
once controlled.
Besides losing territory, the insurgents had also been
largely decimated by the troops which experts said is
responsible for their activities being whittled down
across their stronghold in the northeast.
The insurgency, which began in 2009, has left
approximately 20,000 people dead and directly
responsible for the displacement of millions.
Boko Haram leaders recently engaged in negotiation
with the Nigerian government which led to the last
week’s release of 21 of the over 200 girls kidnapped
from Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014.