The Nigerian Army has buried three of the soldiers killed in an ambush by Boko Haram Terrorists in Borno State.
The Soldiers, who came under attack last week Sunday, were buried on Saturday at Maimalari Military Cantonment Cemetery, Maiduguri.
The buried soldiers are Lance Corporals Nwobuji Desmond, Adebiyi Oluwaseye and Private Aliyu Ibrahim, who lost their lives along with their Commander, Colonel Dabiru Chiroma Bako, as a result of an ambush by terrorists along Damboa-Biu Road in Borno State.
According to the Army, the three soldiers would have been buried on the same day with their Commander, but for the fact that it took longer time to locate, inform and transport their families to Maiduguri for the burial, which is a key requirement for military funeral procedures.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, said the Army will ensure the sacrifices of the dead soldiers are not in vain.
“The painful exit of these three gentlemen will spur us, all of us, to stand firm, track down and exert a heavy price on the terrorists wherever they may be hiding,” he said.
Buratai also assured the families of the deceased that the Nigerian Army will support them in this trying moment.
According to him: “The Nigerian Army is considering special housing packages for our Killed in Action personnel families.
“The process will start with these gallant soldiers, which is a firm demonstration of the Nigerian Army’s resolve to support the families of our KIA heroes.”
Buratai said the housing programme will be in two categories: two and three-bedroom houses for officers and soldiers respectively.
Major highlights of the befitting burial ceremony were the presentations of national flags to the families by Buratai on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari; and N2 million to the families, which presentation was done by the Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division, Maiduguri, Brigadier General Abdul Khalifa Ibrahim, on behalf of the Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the Boko Haram’s attack on the convoy of Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State was on Saturday put at 30.
Sources in Maiduguri said the casualties from the attack on Zulum on a highway had doubled, following the recovery of more bodies.
The victims included policemen and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force.
The police and the governor, however, said 11 people died in the attack.
The police gave the breakdown as eight policemen and three members of the Civilian Joint Task Force.
A sad Zulum consoled the bereaved families and described the victims as priceless heroes.
The spokesman to Governor Zulum, Isa Gusau, said in a statement on Saturday that his principal was “saddened by this unfortunate carnage.”
He added: “He shares the grief of families of these 11 priceless heroes to whom Borno shall remain grateful.
“The governor prays for the repose of their souls and urges all stakeholders to remain committed to ongoing peacebuilding efforts.
“Zulum is of the opinion that we must continue to keep hope alive even in the face of tribulations and believe that with sustained efforts and prayers, Borno will eventually regain peace.
“The situation facing us is a tough one but we must choose between doing something which gives us some hope and doing nothing which will leave us more vulnerable to Boko Haram’s ultimate wish to take over Borno and bring it under their sovereign brutal administration.”
The governor’s convoy had earlier been attacked by the sect members in Kukawa Local Government Area of the state in July 2020, but no one was killed in that attack.
The State Police Command, in a statement by its spokesman, Edet Okon, said: “Eight policemen and three members of the Civilian Joint Task Force paid the supreme price.
“Thirteen other persons sustained various degrees of injuries and were rushed to the hospital for treatment.”
Okon reiterated the commitment of the Police to the protection of the lives and property of the residents of the state.
He said the Force “will not relent in providing the needed security for the good citizens of Borno State at all times.”
The governor’s convoy came under attack as it approached Baga to join Zulum who had been flown into town in an Airforce chopper to Baga to receive returning Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
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