Suspected Boko Haram insurgents have launched a deadly attack on a military base in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State, killing five soldiers during an early morning raid on Monday.
Military sources revealed that the terrorists stormed the Forward Operating Base at dawn, taking the troops by surprise and triggering an intense gun battle that lasted nearly an hour before the base was overrun.
“They came unexpectedly and engaged us in a heavy shootout,” a soldier who survived the attack told The PUNCH. “We lost five men — a few of them close friends. We called them by their nicknames: Shehu from Kaduna, Patrick from Delta, Franklin, and two others.”
The soldiers who died were said to be of junior ranks — privates and lance corporals — and were stationed at the base as part of counter-insurgency operations under Operation Hadin Kai.
Efforts to get a formal response from the Army’s Operation Hadin Kai spokesman, Capt. Reuben Kovangiya, were unsuccessful, as he did not return calls or messages as of press time.
Roadside Bomb Kills Two in Separate Attack
Also on Monday, Boko Haram fighters were believed to be behind an improvised explosive device (IED) that detonated on the Damboa-Maiduguri highway, killing two travelers instantly.
Local sources reported that the victims were employees of the Damboa Local Education Authority. They were transporting mangoes in a commercial Toyota Hiace bus when the vehicle struck the IED.
The Borno State Police Command confirmed the explosion, although full details were still being verified.
“We are aware of the incident, but I do not have all the information yet. We’ll give an update once investigations are complete,” said the Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso.
The attack is the latest in a string of deadly ambushes on that highway. Just weeks earlier, another roadside bomb exploded, killing eight people and injuring 11 others in a similar incident involving a commercial bus.
These back-to-back assaults have heightened fears of a resurgence in Boko Haram activity in Borno, despite ongoing military operations aimed at containing the group.
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