No UN personnel killed or food items carted away by insurgents in Borno

iyebiye olawuyi

December 18, 2017 4:30 PM

The Army said no trucks of the UN agency conveying food items were carted away in the insurgents’ attack on Saturday...

The Nigerian Army on Monday dismissed as misleading, reports that some United Nations (UN) personnel were killed in an ambush by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno.

The Army said no trucks of the UN agency conveying food items were carted away in the insurgents’ attack on Saturday at Maula village of Gamboru-Ngala Local Government Area of the state.

Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, said this in a statement issued in Maiduguri.

Nwachukwu said that the report grossly misrepresented the true situation of the incident as none of the casualties in the encounter were identified as UN staff.

“Contrary to the information currently making the rounds in a section of the media that four UN staff had been killed and four trucks conveying food for internally displaced persons carted away.

“The Theatre Command, Operation Lafiya Dole, wishes to state that the report grossly misrepresents the true situation of the incident as none of the casualties in the encounter has been identified as a staff of the UN.

“It is necessary to state here that a patrol escorting a convoy of civilian vehicles to Logomani encountered an ambush staged by elements of Boko Haram insurgents at Maula village along Dikwa-Ngala Trans Sahara Highway, which resulted in a fire fight between troops and the insurgents.

“The troops, however, fought through the ambush, overpowered the insurgents and killed six of them,” he said.

Nwachukuwu disclosed that the troops recovered three AK 47 rifles, three locally fabricated fire arms, four magazines and a belt of 7.62 mm ammunition.

He added that four persons lost their lives in the encounter, stressing that none of those killed in the ambush had so far been identified as UN staff.

The army spokesperson said that the situation had been brought under control, adding that a general exploitation patrol was being carried out by Mobile Strike Team of Operation Lafiya Dole.

Nwachukwu reiterated the commitment of the military to end insurgency, protect lives and property as well as restoration of peace to the region.

iyebiye olawuyi