Media reports have revealed that a senior officer of the Nigerian Army, Lt Col B. Umar was killed on Monday in an ambush by Boko Haram fighters. This is happening one week after Lt Colonel Abu Ali and his troops were killed in a previous ambush.
Lt Col B. Umar was commanding officer of 114 TF battalion of the Nigerian Army. Information gathered from the media reveal that Umar was killed leading the troops of the 114 Tank Battalion from Gwoza to Yola. He was ambushed alongside his troops on Monday morning between Bita and Piridang.
It was gathered that his vehicle stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), but he was not hurt. He came out to assess the damage on the vehicle and Boko Haram opened fire and killed him in the process.
The full casualty from the attack is not yet clear. Col. Umar, who recently took over the command of the 114 battalion about three weeks ago, was a member of the 48 Regular Course in the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA).
When contacted, the Army spokesperson, Sani Usman, said he was unaware of Mr. Umar’s death. He said he would seek further confirmation from appropriate authorities.