No UN personnel was killed – Army

chika ebuzor

December 18, 2017 10:54 PM

The Army also described the reports as misleading, adding that the truck carrying food for IDPs was carted away by the terrorists.

The Nigerian Army has said that no United Nations personnel were killed by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno state.

According to Punch, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, said this in a statement which he issued in Maiduguri.

On Saturday, December 16, 2017, Boko Haram militants attacked a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) aid convoy in Ngala, Borno state.

Reports say four people were killed during the ambush.

The convoy was taking food to an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Ngala village in Gamboru-Ngala Local Government Area of Borno.

Speaking on the incident Nwachukwu said “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.

ALSO READ:FG approved $1 billion to fight Boko Haram, not Governors - Fayose

“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.”

$1b earmarked for Boko Haram war

Recently, the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) approved the withdrawal of $1 billion from the Excess Crude account by the Federal Government to intensify the war against terrorist group, Boko Haram, in the northeast.

This is despite claims by the Federal Government that the dreaded sect has been technically defeated.

Boko Haram has been responsible for the death of over 20,000 people and displacement of 2.5 million others.

chika ebuzor