After days of denial, the Nigerian Army may soon eat the humble pie to admit that it lost a Brigadier General to insurgents who, emerging fresh details are showing” was caught in an ambush and killed.
The sad news emerged after the Army officially confirmed last weekend that troops from the 25 Task Force Brigade in Borno State were ambushed by insurgents, but strongly refuted earlier reports claiming that the brigade’s commander, Brigadier-General Musa Uba, was kidnapped.
Expectedly, the opposition is dragging the present administration through the mud over it, amid suppressed anger among the generality of Nigerians that a one-star General, with a trove of information was captured, perhaps tortured, and made to go through the associated indignities, before being killed. Many fear blood will vengefully flow in the north-east and other theatres of engagement with insurgents and bandits.
Commenting on social media, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said: “I am deeply saddened and extremely shocked and disturbed by news making the rounds of the killing of Brig. Gen. Musa Uba by terrorists and the failure of the military hierarchy to clearly explain how it happened or what went wrong, as initial official denials indicated that this was not the case.
“This for me is unequivocally a failure of political leadership as the President seems only more interested in decimating the opposition by all means possible, while forgetting his crucial role as Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces.
“Gen. Musa’s death along with the deaths of some of the troops he was leading is one death too many and a bold terrorist resurgence our dear country can not afford.
“I urge all citizens and our military leaders to take heart, as even this season shall pass away.
“To Mr. President: the security of the lives of our people is your primary responsibility and you must live up to it or be humble enough to admit incompetence and either ask for help or resign.
“If I was President, I would order the military to occupy Borno State or any state under siege by bandits or armed groups until they clear those areas. We must care enough for the men and women who put their lives on the line for our sake.
“I offer my condolences to the Nigerian Armed Forces, the family of the bereaved and indeed to all Nigerians.
“May this dark period pass over us as a nation, sooner than later.”
Atiku is not alone, as other commentators speak up, but analysts insist that politicians should leave the military to do its duty of clearing terrorists and other threats to the internal and external territorial integrity of the country.
One, preferring anonymity, spoke the mind of all: “That is the way to go. Let us pull all resources, whether local or foreign to stop this decade plus old madness. Enough is enough. If it South Africans, if it is Americans. If it is even our own boys, let’s just do it, once and for all.”
Recall that a weekend statement by Lieutenant-Colonel Appolonia Anele, Acting Director of Army Public Relations, which now appears false and a mismanagement of information, the attack that claimed the lives of Uba, soldiers and other civilians, took place as the patrol was returning from a successful operation on the fringes of the Sambisa Forest. The unit — which included both 25 Brigade soldiers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) — came under heavy fire along the Wajiroko–Azir Multe axis in Damboa Local Government Area.
In the ensuing firefight, the Army confirmed that two soldiers and two CJTF operatives were killed. Lt.-Col. Anele said that despite the sudden and intense attack, the troops “fought through the ambush with superior firepower,” compelling the insurgents to retreat.
Contrary to circulating rumours, the Army denied that Brigadier-General M. Uba, commander of the 25 Brigade, was abducted. In fact, the statement clarified that he was leading his men during the ambush and successfully brought them back to base.
Anele described reports of his kidnapping as a “fake narrative” and urged the public to ignore them.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Waidi Shaibu, paid tribute to the fallen soldiers and CJTF members, saluting their “uncommon bravery, resilience, and sacrifice” in one of Nigeria’s most volatile conflict zones.
