Boko Haram terrorists killed around 100 Nigerian soldiers on Sunday during an attack on an army base, Reuters reported on Thursday. The agency, quoting security sources said that the insurgents attacked the base in the village of Metele in Borno state.
“The insurgents took us unawares. The base was burned with arms and we lost about 100 soldiers. It is a huge loss,” one officer was quoted as saying.
Another soldier said more troops were killed on Tuesday as they tried to evacuate the bodies of the slain soldiers.
“We all flew because we didn’t know where the bullets were coming from. They killed some of us who went to evacuate the bodies of the killed soldiers. We left our amour, tanks and weapons. They were all there. The village is still under their control,” the soldier said.
The Nigerian Army, in a statement on Friday stated that indeed there was an attack, but “several social media, print and online publications have been brandishing false casualty figures.”
The statement which did not give a casualty figure said that “the situation is that the location is under control as reinforcing units have been able to repel the terrorists and stabilize the situation.”
The statement read in part:
It is important for the public to note that the NA has laid down procedures for reporting incidents that involve its personnel who fall casualty in action. Out of respect for the families of our gallant troops, the NOKs are first notified before any form of public information so as to avoid exacerbating the grief family members would bear, were they to discover such from unofficial sources.
Furthermore, it suffices to observe that several social media, print and online publications have been brandishing false casualty figures as well as circulating various footages of old and inaccurate BHT propaganda videos and alluding same to be the attack on 157 Task Force Battalion. Whilst it is understandable how such misinformation can spread in this era of social media frenzy, the spurious circulation of some of these videos only contribute to further propagate the propaganda intent of the terrorists; to misinform the populace and portray themselves as what they are not. So far, the situation is that the location is under control as reinforcing units have been able to repel the terrorists and stabilize the situation.