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• Attack tragic setback – Shettima
The remains of 25 victims of the Boko Haram attack in Magumeri Local Government Area of Borno State have been reportedly deposited at the morgue in the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).
A hospital official told an online medium that military brought in the corpses around 8pm on Wednesday.
The official said among the dead were five senior lecturers of the University of Maiduguri, nine soldiers, members of the civilian JTF and staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The five staff of the institution were identified as J.V Militus, N.Y Solomon, Manaja Uba and Daniel Birma.
A driver of the institution was also said to be among the victims, even as the whereabouts of four staff that joined the team on the uneventful mission remained unknown.
Although the school was yet to issue an official statement on the attack, ASUU chairman in the university, Danny Manmam, who addressed journalists, confirmed that four lecturers, two geologists, two technologists and a driver, were still missing since the attack and the rescue mission by the army.
A source gave the names of the individuals as El-Nafaty, a professor, Yusuf Ibrahim, Kolo, and a technologist from the department of soil sciences, who was simply identified as Mohammed.
“We were first elated when we heard that the military rescued the victims. But, to our dismay we discovered that they were all killed.
“Our initial hope to see them alive was dashed. The soldiers brought only dead bodies,” the source said.
At a press briefing in Abuja yesterday, Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for petroleum resources, said he could not confirm the rescue of any oil worker.
Boko Haram stepped up attacks after Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, ordered his men to capture Abubakar Shekau, leader of the group, within 40 days.
Meanwhile, Governor Shettima, who was in London alongside other state governors to see ailing President Muhammadu Buhari when the ambush took place has described it as a tragic setback in the fight against Boko Haram and in Nigeria’s effort to expand its economic fortunes,
The governor, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Isa Gusau, added: I am deeply pained by this incident, especially coming at a time when we were beginning to pick up the pieces of our lives.
Even though the attack should never have happened given the successes recorded by the military and multi-national joint forces since 2015, I nonetheless still deem it necessary to commend the military for re-mobilising and countering the initial gains of the insurgents.
“On behalf of Government and people of Borno State, I mourn and salute the soldiers and our sons in the civilian JTF who paid the supreme price by giving their lives in this fight. I commiserate with their families and loved ones.”º
