A brigade commander in the Nigerian Army has reportedly been abducted after Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters ambushed a military convoy in Borno State on Friday night.
According to HumAngle, which first reported the incident, several soldiers, including members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), were also killed during the attack. Exact casualty figures, however, remain unclear.
The senior officer was said to be leading the troops when the militants launched the ambush. If confirmed, HumAngle notes that it would be the first time an extremist group in Nigeria has captured a serving general directly from the frontline.
While insurgents have killed senior military officers in earlier clashes, incidents involving the abduction of top-ranking commanders are exceedingly rare and signal a worrying escalation in the conflict.
The Nigerian Army has not yet released an official statement on the attack. Attempts to reach the Army spokesperson, Lt. Col. Onyechi Anele, were unsuccessful as she had not responded to enquiries at the time of filing this report.
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