Boko Haram Ambush Kills Colonel I.A. Muhammad, Several Soldiers in Monguno Attack

Senior officer led reinforcement into IED trap

Boko Haram insurgents killed a serving Nigerian Army Colonel, identified as Colonel I.A. Muhammad, in a coordinated overnight attack on a military formation in Monguno, Borno State, on Sunday night.

Military sources said the senior officer was leading a reinforcement mission to repel terrorists who had attacked a Forward Operating Base under the 242 Battalion in Monguno, which falls under Sector 3 of the counter-insurgency operations.

The insurgents focused their assault on the FOB, and the call for reinforcement went out. Colonel Muhammad mobilised to lead the response.

Remotely detonated IED, not a conventional mine

A soldier who spoke to SaharaReporters said the Colonel’s convoy drove straight into an ambush. The insurgents had planted a remotely detonated explosive device along the route.

“He did not die inside the camp. He was on his way to support his men when Boko Haram fighters ambushed them with a controlled landmine. It was not the type you step on; it was detonated remotely at the exact moment his vehicle approached,” the soldier said.

An unspecified number of soldiers accompanying the Colonel were also killed.

A separate attack from the Benisheikh assault

This is not the same incident as the April 9 attack on a military base in Benisheikh, Kaga Local Government Area, which killed Brigadier General Oseni Braimah and several soldiers. Taken together, both attacks point to a clear escalation in insurgent offensives against military targets across Borno State.

The Nigerian Army has not yet issued an official statement on the Monguno attack.

Borno State remains the centre of the Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgency, which has dragged on for more than 15 years despite repeated government claims that the terrorists have been largely degraded.

Sources: NaijaNews, BBC Pidgin, TheMatrix Newspapers