Special Forces Trainer Killed Assisting Boko Haram Fighters In Borno

A lance corporal has been killed by the Special Forces in Borno State during an encounter with insurgents in the North-East state.

The lance corporal, whose name was not given, was said to have been killed while assisting in the training of Boko Haram fighters.

This incident comes on the heels of allegations by a soldier that military commanders are assisting the insurgents thereby compromising the military’s mandate of ridding the entire North-East of insurgents.

Investigations revealed that the killed soldier was ‘competent’ and trusted enough to be a trainer of Special Forces at the Nigerian Army Training Centre, Kontagora, Niger State.

It was learnt that one of the soldiers, who took part in the operation recognised the body of the lance corporal who was dressed in military camouflage, during a mop-up.

The soldier was said to have called the attention of his commander to his discovery that one of the corpses was that of a soldier, who he knew too well as a trainer of Special Forces in Kotangora.

It was learnt that the commander ordered a search on the body of the deceased lance corporal and a valid pass allowing him to exit his base at the training centre in Kontagora was found on him.

According to a security source, “A soldier, who trains Special Forces at the Nigerian Army Training Centre in Kontagora, Niger State, was among those who were killed.

“The man was not among the Special Forces; he was obviously leading the attack for the insurgents but he got killed.

“It was one of the soldiers that identified him as somebody from his unit in Kotangora.

“The soldier called attention to the man’s corpse and when the commander said he should be searched, they recovered a current pass authorising him to leave Kotangora and his Army identity card from him”.

However, Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade said that he would not want to comment on the killing of the lance corporal even as we can confirm that the military high command was looking into possibilities of insider collaborators that could compromise national security.