No fewer than seven operatives of the Nigerian Army have been confirmed dead after their vehicle hit an explosive in Mugunu area of Maiduguri in Borno State, SaharaReporters has gathered.
On Thursday morning, the vehicle reportedly hit an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) suspected to have been planted by Boko Haram along the Gamboru Ngala-Maiduguri Road in Borno State.
The Army reportedly received a distress call during early on Thursday that Boko Haram terrorists were attacking a neighbouring community and they quickly mobilised themselves to rescue the community.
In response to the Boko Haram siege, the commandant ordered the deployment of three vehicles carrying armed soldiers to the community. Tragically, one of the vehicles struck an electro-explosive device (EED) in the Mugunu area of Maiduguri, resulting in the loss of all but one of the soldiers on board.
This is not the first time Boko Haram has planted IEDs in the area, as a resident of Gamboru Ngala reported that many vehicles travelling on the road have been damaged by IEDs.
SaharaReporters obtained distressing videos and images showing soldiers grappling with the gruesome task of recovering and reassembling the dismembered remains of their comrades, who were tragically killed by an explosive device on Thursday morning.
A military source said: “They (referring to the deceased soldiers) were called that a neighbouring community is under attack by Boko Haram.
“So their commandant said they should go. So they moved with the commandant around 5 am (on Thursday) in a convoy. The first and second vehicles passed, his own was the third, the EED device exploded and scattered all of them in the vehicle. They were seven.”
“We are waiting for their official call because they said they would look for their parts and pack them to the morgue and attach their service number before they contact family members of the deceased soldiers,” the source added.
At the time of filing this report, information about the identities of the deceased remained limited. However, according to reliable sources, SaharaReporters has confirmed that one of the victims has been identified as Luke, a native of Cross River State.
