One of the soldiers who escaped
the deadly attack on the military formation in Metele in Borno state has
narrated how he escaped.
Over 100 soldiers attached to 157
task force battalion were reportedly killed in the attack while the armoury at
the formation was looted.
The Islamic State in West Africa
Province (ISWAP) had claimed responsibility for the attack.
The soldier who spoke off the
record said more than 100 of his colleagues fled the attack.
The soldier accused the military
authorities of lying to the public about the insurgency in the north-east,
calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to act.
“Most of our people dropped their
arms and pulled off this dirty uniform… the bodies of our troops littered
everywhere but we watched the news and heard army headquarters saying troops
repelled the attack,” he said.
“The army chief and other
generals only sit in Abuja and lie to Nigerians whereas soldiers are being
killed on daily basis. We lack manpower but nobody is telling the president the
truth.
“The president should demand the
whereabouts of all the soldiers deployed to Operation Last Hold to fight Boko
Haram under Major General Abbah Dikko. The answer is, all of them have been
crushed by Boko Haram and their new weapons and arms are what the Boko Haram is
using to attack us. Please, help us tell Mr President that the service chiefs
are just lying to him.”
Another soldier said he and his
colleagues engaged the insurgents in a gun battle for 40 minutes but they
eventually ran out of ammunition.
He said troops at the formation
were alerted about the attack, one hour before the insurgents struck.
“Our commander, Lieutenant
Colonel Sakaba told us to prepare for battle after being briefed by one of our
soldiers whose duty is to monitor what is coming from distance,” he said.
“We engaged the terrorists for
over 40 minutes before we ran out of ammunition on that very Sunday. They were
well equipped and armed with rocket propelled grenades, more than 12 gun trucks
mounted with anti-air craft shooting at us from a long range.
“Some of us ran out of bullets
and they overpowered us, we fled but those who could not escape were
slaughtered like chicken.
“Our formation is surrounded by
big trenches and barbed wires, which became a trap for our made it difficult
for them to escape. I watched many of my fellow friends died helplessly in cold
blood.”
Another soldier who wants to be
identified at Gods child, said it was a miracle that they survived the onslaught.
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