CLUELESS BUHARI AND LYING APC: Hundreds Of Nigerian Troops Still Unaccounted For After Boko Haram Overruns Base

Hundreds of Nigerian troops are missing after Boko Haram jihadists overran a military base in the remote northeast, in the second major assault on the armed forces in two days.

The Nigerian military is dismissive of the report saying the jihadist attack was exaggerated.

“The report is not only untrue but misleading as the said report is blown out of proportion by the media”, it said in a statement.

But the news agency AFP said minutes ago it is standing by its report that a second jihadist attack on Nigerian troops in as many days was even more deadly and included an army base being overrun.

It adds that hundreds of troops are unaccounted for after the attack.

The militants invaded a base holding more than 700 soldiers in Yobe state — where they abducted over 100 girls from a school earlier this year — in an hours-long onslaught Saturday night, a military source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Fewer than 100 soldiers have returned following the attack, which took place just 24 hours after Boko Haram fighters ambushed a military convoy in neighboring Borno state on Friday.

The two assaults have highlighted the tenuous hold Nigerian forces have on the ravaged region despite claims by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government that the country is in a “post-conflict stabilization phase.

“Boko Haram terrorists attacked troops of the 81st Division Forward Brigade at Jilli village in Geidam district. The terrorists came in huge numbers around 7:30 p.m. (1830 GMT) and overran the base after a fierce battle that lasted until 9:10 p.m.,” said the military source.

“The base had 734 troops. Currently the commander of the base and 63 soldiers have made it to Geidam (60 km away) while the remaining 670 are being expected,” he said, without elaborating on their possible fate.

“We don’t know if there were any casualties among the troops. That will be known later,” he said, adding that the base was new and the troops had recently arrived from Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital.

A leader of a local anti-jihadi militia said the soldiers sustained casualties, but was unable to give a toll, attributing the attack to the Abu-Mus’ab Al-Barnawi faction of Boko Haram, which is known for targeting Nigerian forces.

“We learned that they drove from Lake Chad through Gubio (in nearby Borno state) and attacked the base,” he said.

Geidam resident Fannami Gana said the jihadis “overwhelmed” the troops.

“We don’t know the details of what happened but we learnt they were overwhelmed by hundreds of Boko Haram gunmen,” said Gana.

The Nigerian military has denied reports that soldiers are missing after Boko Haram Islamist militants attacked a military base over the weekend.

An army spokesman said in a series of tweets that the reports had been blown out of proportion.

On Friday, 23 Nigerian soldiers went missing after Boko Haram ambushed a convoy outside Bama, leading to the loss of several military vehicles.

According to a military officer, “around 100 terrorists” attacked the convoy.

The sophisticated attacks highlight the continued threat — and evolution — of Boko Haram, an Islamic State group ally, said Yan St.-Pierre, counterterrorism adviser and head of the Berlin-based Modern Security Consulting Group.

St.-Pierre suggested the attacks could be because Boko Haram fighters are vying for control of the faction led by Abubakar Shekau, the long-time jihadi leader who is reportedly ill.

“When a near-mythical leader is on his way out there’s always a battle to establish who could be next,” said St-Pierre.

The attacks show the persistent threat of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region, he said.

As the jihadis exploit rampant poverty in the region, the Nigerian army, which is overstretched and under-resourced, struggles to keep the insurgency in check.

“The supply of Boko Haram fighters is always there, either through kidnapping or economic reasons, they tap into a wide pool of personnel, they find a way to replenish their strength,” St.-Pierre said.

The Nigerian military’s dismissive response to this report is typical of its default stance of downplaying or denying losses, analysts told Elombah News.

“It wants to be the sole source of news from the front line, and pits the media as purveyors of unfounded and unverified claims.”