The leader of the Boko Haram Islamic
sect, Sheikh Abubakar Shekau, may have been cornered by operatives of the Joint
Task Force in Gwoza hills, Borno State.
A top security source told Saturday PUNCHon Thursday that
the JTF had located the area where the Boko Haram leader was hiding.
The source stated, “We are combing
Gwoza hills where we believe Shekau is hiding.”
The source added that a unit of the
Army’s Special Forces team had launched a “well-coordinated assault” on a group
of insurgents somewhere in the Gwoza hills areas on June 26, 2013. Shekau, the
source added, was in the group of Islamists, with some of his closest aides.
He added that the operation ran into
“hitches” and in the ensuing gun battle some of the insurgents and members of
the Special Forces group lost their lives.
Another military source told Saturday PUNCH that one of the army casualties was
one of the country’s best Special Forces officer, Major A.T. Fambiya, who had
volunteered to lead the operation.
Sources told Saturday PUNCH five soldiers were also gunned down by
the insurgents during the encounter.
Fambiya, who hailed from Gwoza Local
Government Area of Borno State, had reportedly volunteered for the mission
because of his excellent knowledge of the area.
The source said the military
authorities had accepted Fambiya’s offer because he had grown up in the area
and he understood the area’s rocky terrain.
Fambiya, who was on posting to the
322 Artillery Regiment in Benin City, Edo State, was redeployed to the JTF on
June 13, 2013, a few weeks into his deployment to the JTF’s Operation Boyona.
A brief biography of the late soldier
presented by the Nigerian Army authorities during his burial at the Nigerian
Military Cemetery, Abuja on Thursday stated that he “was killed in action on 26
June in a fierce encounter with Boko Haram terrorists.”
The secrecy surrounding the operation
made the next of kin to the Major, a pastor, Iliya Joshua, to call on the
Federal Government to investigate the cause of the death of his brother.
“We call on the Federal Government to
investigate the rumoured cause of the death of the officers since it remains a
mystery to our family,” he said, without giving any explanation about what he
meant by “rumoured death”.
Iliya later told our correspondent
that he made the call to the Federal Government and the military authorities to
investigate the deaths because his brother was not supposed to be in Borno.
He said that the late major was
supposed to be undergoing training at the Nigerian Army School of Artillery,
Kantagora, Niger State.
He said, “I made the call because he
was supposed to be at the Army school of artillery. The last time I called him,
he said that he was not part of those people that were going to Maiduguri for
this operation.
“But later, I was told that he had
been killed. He was not supposed to be on posting to that place.”
When our correspondent
contacted the Director of Defence Information, Brig. Gen Chris Olukolade, he
said that the mandate of the JTF was to look for all insurgents and not just
the leader of the Boko Haram sect.
“We know that we are combing
everywhere for every insurgent. The pursuit of the insurgents is continuing.
That is the mandate at the moment,” he said.
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Politics
Why can't de west all this madafocker so that every 1 can rest.see how dis idiot are just westing human life
ReplyDeleteMay d souls of d Gallant Soldiers find rest while d animals called Boko Haram burn in hell.
ReplyDeletemay d soul of d gallants cracks combatants soldiers rest in perfect peace well.
ReplyDelete