Police rescue soldiers attacked by Boko Haram, recover 60 rifles
The incident
occurred at about 2:48 p.m. Monday, authorities briefed on the matter said.
Before the arrival
of the police, the Boko Haram elements had killed two soldiers, kidnapped
others and carted away two gun trucks, about 60 AK47 rifles and some ammunition.
But in an exchange
of fire, the police rescued two soldiers, recovered one of the gun trucks and
some of the other ammunition, this medium learnt.
In a video seen by
this newspaper where the Nigerian police team gave an account of the rescue
mission, the leader of the team said their patrol vehicle was moving along Auno
road when they saw a military vehicle packed on an untarred and deserted road.
“We decided to move
across the road so see what’s happening. We saw a military vehicle on an
interred road. We saw a dead body. We thought it was a bomb,” the unnamed
police officer said in the video.
“I said let us
scrutinize the vehicle. (It was there) we saw this number of arms and decided
to pick them out,” the officer, who wore a bulletproof vest and face cap with
SARS crested on them, noted.
He added that they
“decided to retrieve (the ammunition) and go back,” when they saw a vehicle
burning along the road and a fighter jet hovering above them.
He said their
decision was taken to avoid being mistaken for terrorists since “we didn’t
communicate with the army.”
Auno town, which is
about 20 km from Maiduguri, has seen recent onslaught from insurgents. In
February, over 30 stranded travellers were charred and over 18 vehicles burnt
at the town’s gate.
Also, during
COVID-19 lockdown in April, at least seven persons were killed by suspected
Boko Haram insurgents on the outskirts of the village.
The army
spokesperson, Sagir Musa, could not be reached as his phone was switched off
when it was called.
Police spokesperson,
Frank Mba, declined comment as calls and a text message sent to him were not
replied.
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