Nigerian Army buries 13 soldiers, 1 officer in Kaduna

The Nigerian Army has buried 13 soldiers and one officer at the Commonwealth cemetery in Kaduna State.

The ceremony was witnessed by families of the fallen soldiers and senior Army officers on Friday, January 11, 2019.

The soldiers were killed during an ambush by Boko Haram terrorists on Damaturu-Maiduguri road on their way back to Kaduna on December 24, 2018.

During the ceremony, the General Commanding (GOC) 1 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Mohammed Mohammed, eulogised the men's sacrifice for the nation's well-being.

"What these men represent is the quest for national defence and preservation of the aspiration of the Nigerian people," he said.

The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) also presented N500,000 to the families of each of the 14 soldiers as assistance, pending the processing of their benefits.

The ceremony comes weeks after 19 soldiers were buried in a private ceremony in Maiduguri, Borno State on December 14, 2018.

The soldiers were those killed during a terrorist attack on the 157 Task Force Battalion in Metele in Guzamala local government area of Borno on November 18.

Nigerian troops have been fighting the Boko Haram insurgency in the troubled northeast region for nearly 10 years.

Since Boko Haram's insurgency escalated in 2009, it has killed over 27,000 people and displaced millions in the northeast region, with its operations also extending to border countries like Cameroon, Chad and Niger.