The Nigerian Army hinted yesterday that troops of the Operation Lafiya Dole at the weekend successfully prevented an infiltration by suspected Boko Haram terrorists in Gudumbali community of Borno State.
The terrorists were said to have come disguised as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and implanted themselves in the community.
In a statement he issued on Sunday, the deputy director, Army public relations, Theatre Command, Col Onyema Nwachukwu, noted that the terrorists took advantage of the ongoing distribution of relief materials by the Nigerian Army at Gudumbali and opened fire on troops’ location.
This, he said, was followed by rapid fire from other terrorists in gun trucks along Gudumbali-Kukawa axis, adding that the insurgents set the trucks conveying the relief materials ablaze.
Nwachukwu however noted that the troops fought gallantly and outmanoeuvred the attackers and inflicted heavy casualties on them.
“Unfortunately, a soldier paid the supreme price during the encounter, while another was wounded in action. A Cobra Armoured Personnel Carrier and a truck belonging to the unit were damaged,” he said
The statement further note that the troops recovered bodies of some of the neutralised terrorists, large quantity of ammunition and eight rocket propelled grenades charges.
The Army assured that the troops have since been reinforced and normalcy has been brought to the general area.
Recall that Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) on Saturday renewed their commitment to the fight against Boko Haram terrorists with a view to bringing a definitive end to the insurgency.
To this end, the regional leaders agreed to seek the support of the community leaders to strengthen the fight against terrorism.
The African leaders made their position known in a communique issued at the end of one-day summit convened by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, on Saturday.
The Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, Mamman Nuhu, read the English version of the communiqué.
The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to the accelerated implementation of the Regional Stabilisation Strategy in the areas of Lake Chad affected by the Boko Haram crisis.
