Nigeria: New Army Leader Unharmed in Boko Haram Attack

By Staff Writer

Nigeria based terrorist group Boko Haram on Saturday ambushed a convoy carrying the new Nigerian head of the army Tukur Buratai as he was visiting troops in the northern region of the country.

The army chief was visiting troops based in the village of Faljari  which is located about 45km east of the Borno state capital of Maiduguri, which the Nigerian military is working on making its new headquarters in its heightened retaliation against Boko Haram

In order to boost its fight against the seemingly organized terror group which has most of its strongholds in the north eastern region, the Nigerian army is relocating its command and control from the country’s capital in Abuja to Maidugurui. The terrorists have however made several attacks to try and stop the army’s progress.

According to the Nigerian army spokesman, the terrorists received an overwhelming firepower from the troops in the convoy in which ten terrorists were killed on the spot and five others were captured. Unfortunately during the attack, one soldier lost his life while an officer and four officers sustained gunshot wounds

The fighters have stepped up their attacks in Borno and two neighboring states since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power in May. The fresh attacks have claimed more than 1,000 lives over the last three months, dealing a setback to a four-country offensive launched in February that had marked a number of victories against the terrorist group.

This attack came a day before the UN chief Ban Ki-moon scheduled visit to Nigeria to commemorate a deadly attack by the Boko Haram militants. The car bombing at United Nations House in the country, which has around 400 UN employees, killed at least 21 and wounded dozens on August 26, 2011.

Terror groups have seemed to be prevalent in some country in Africa and have paralyzed development in such nations as investors feel the risk is too high.  Activists have called on the UN and other leading countries to join in the fight against terrorism to help secure Africa’s future.

Most of these groups target the young people most of who are jobless and recruit them into the terror groups. Governments in the affected regions have come up with initiatives to provide the young people with jobs in a bid to curb this growing vice.