Suspected members of the Boko Haram sect laid ambush for Nigerian troops along the Maiduguri-Damboa road which was closed down for motorists since July, but they were dealt a big blow, with at least 80 of them killed. Two soldiers however died in the clash.
Vanguard gathered that the clash occurred, weekend, when some military personnel attached to 7 Division of the Nigerian Army were on their way to Damboa, the headquarters of Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State.
“Military personnel were on their way to Damboa to give security cover to the staff of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) who were in Damboa to repair some destroyed electric cables along Maiduguri-Damboa road but they were ambushed by insurgents, leaving two soldiers and over 80 terrorists dead over the weekend,” an impeccable source told Vanguard.
“As the troops were moving towards Damboa, one Boko Haram terrorist suddenly appeared from the bush with a female by his side both armed with AK-47 rifles and confronted the troops who immediately killed both of them. But unknown to the troops, many of the terrorists were hiding by the road side.
“As the troops approached, the insurgents fired a Rocket Propelled Grenade, RPG, at one of the troops’ vehicles killing two soldiers.
“The troops immediately responded and engaged the terrorists in a gun battle, and when they realised that they were overwhelmed by the troops, the terrorists started running into the bush before they were pursued by the troops who killed almost all of them,” a security source disclosed to Vanguard. He added that he personally counted 80 corpses of the insurgents.
According to him, the troops also destroyed three Hilux vehicles mounted with anti aircraft gun and another one belonging to Yobe State government believed to have been snatched in a recent attack on Damaturu. It was loaded with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), as well as many motorcycles.
The ambush makes it the third time troops were attacked while trying to ensure electricity was restored to the area after power infrastructure in the area has been destroyed in Boko Haram attacks. The last attempt to fix power was also met with an attack that led to the death of 75 insurgents.
