Pressure is mounting on the Nigerian military hierarchy after Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) insisted it killed Brigadier General Musa Uba during Friday’s ambush in Borno State, a claim that contradicts the Army’s official account and has triggered nationwide outrage.
The ambush, which occurred along the volatile Damboa–Wajiroko Road, targeted a military convoy transporting equipment alongside members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF). Local security sources said ISWAP fighters opened fire on the troops, killing two soldiers and two CJTF operatives, and seizing at least 17 military motorcycles.
Initial field reports indicated that Brig. Gen. Uba, who led the convoy, may have been abducted. But the Nigerian Army swiftly denied this, insisting the senior officer “fought through the insurgents’ ambush with superior firepower” and returned safely to base. A video later circulated showing the general saying he survived the attack unhurt.
However, the military’s version of events has been thrown into doubt. Reuters reported on Sunday that ISWAP claimed responsibility for the ambush on its Amaq propaganda channel and asserted it captured and executed the brigadier general — a direct contradiction of the Army’s position. The Nigerian Army has not issued any clarification since the militant group’s latest claim surfaced.
Atiku Abubakar: “This is a failure of political leadership”
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar expressed deep shock over the conflicting accounts, accusing President Bola Tinubu’s administration of failing in its constitutional duty to protect citizens and troops.
“This is unequivocally a failure of political leadership,” Atiku said in a statement on X. “The President seems more interested in decimating the opposition than fulfilling his role as Commander-in-Chief.”
He condemned the killing as “one death too many” and urged the President to “live up to his primary responsibility or humbly admit incompetence and resign.”
Public grief and anger intensify
Broadcaster and Arise TV anchor Rufai Oseni lamented what he described as a national reluctance to confront the death of a frontline commander.
“A general died on the battlefront. Nigeria is not celebrating Gen Uba. We keep deflecting the story,” he wrote.
Politician Musa Auta G also decried what he called Nigeria’s “endless cycle of tragedy,” noting that the general’s death came just days after armed militants stormed a school in Kebbi State, abducting dozens of students and killing a vice principal.
“No week passes without bloodshed, no month without tears,” he said. “Even our senior military officers and innocent schoolchildren are no longer safe.”
Leave a Reply