Boko Haram kills another Nigerian lieutenant colonel

Boko Haram

Boko Haram terrorists have killed another senior Nigerian soldier, Premium Times quotes army sources as saying.

Commanding Officer of 114 TF battalion of the Nigerian Army, Lt Col, B.U. Umar, was said to have been ambushed alongside his troops on Monday morning between Bita and Piridang.

“His vehicle stepped on an improvised explosive device, but he was not hurt,” a source told the online newspaper.

“He came out to assess the damage on the vehicle and Boko Haram opened fire and killed him in the process.”

The soldiers were said to be on their way to Yola in Adamawa State from Bita in Borno State when the incident occurred.

The full casualty from the attack is not yet clear.

Umar recently took over the command of the 114 battalion about three weeks ago.

He was a member of the 48 Regular Course in the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA).

Army spokesperson, Sani Usman, said he was unaware of Umar’s death. He said he would seek further confirmation from appropriate authorities.

Umar’s death comes about a week after another Lieutenant Colonel, Muhammed Abu-Ali, and his troops were killed in another ambush by Boko Haram.

Fourteen Boko Haram insurgents and four other soldiers died in that attack, the army said.