The Nigerian Army headquarters on May 12 2014, selected a group of soldiers from the Special Operations Battalion to embark on a mission to wipe out insurgent members who have been sighted in the area, an undisclosed military source said.
According to him, residents of the area had fled since February to safer locations over fears of attacks from the terrorists, adding that the Islamist now took over the village and used it as its refuge.
He said the selected soldiers, who were transferred from their operational base in Mubi, Adamawa State, to the “213” battalion from the newly created “7 Division” of the Nigerian army stationed inside Maimalari Barracks.
It was gathered that upon their arrival, the soldiers were asked to gear up without knowing the location of their mission. This was so because it was suspected that some of the soldiers were liaising with the sect, so that they (Boko Haram) cannot be tipped off about the attack.
The source said upon the arrival of the soldiers in Bita, the Islamist had already left the village, adding that they searched the nooks and crannies of the village and its environs, but couldn’t find any sect members so, the soldiers decided to set the village on fire, and while they were preparing to leave, one of the Islamist, who was hiding in one of the huts fired sporadically at the security operatives.
He said the security operatives returned fire and wounded the assailant, and started questioning him on the where about of the other members. He disclosed that before the assailant died, the deceased confessed that the sect members had fled the area as they have been tipped off three days before the impending attack.
He said the soldiers waited several hours expecting Boko Haram’s reprisal but none came forth, adding that after a long wait, they mounted their vehicles and prepared to leave when the sect members stormed the area and opened fire on them (Soldiers) with heavy artillery he claimed they have never seen since the sect commenced their massacre.
The source said they returned fire but were outnumbered by the Islamist who kept shooting and advancing aggressively towards them. He said after the gun fight which lasted for almost two hours, Captain Akintola, Commanding Officer of the “213” Battalion, as well as Lieutenant Abdullahi, and 30 other soldiers were killed in the shootout.
He said that Lieutenant Colonel B.M.G. Martins, the commanding officer of the Special Operations Battalion, miraculously survived the fire fight, adding that days after, soldiers were sent to the scene to retrieve the bodies of the falling heroes.
According to the source, ten bodies were not retrieved as the soldiers sent were too scared to go close to the Sambisa forest.
He said some about ten of the soldiers were buried in Yola, Adamawa State yesterday.
Some of the soldiers who spoke on condition of anonymity during the burial asked how the insurgents knew about the assault three days before it was even carried out while they (soldiers) didn’t know the location. The soldiers revealed that they were yet receive orders to go into Sambisa Forest and rescue the over 237 abducted school girls.
They claimed that the death of the soldiers on May 12 as well as the ambushed killing of 70 more the next day when coming from Chibok, stirred up the anger that led to the mutiny against their commander, Major General Ahmadu Mohammed, at the Maimalari Barracks.
