Several Nigerian soldiers drowned in the Yobe River in North-East Nigeria as they tried to escape intense fire from Boko Haram fighters on Monday according to Premium Times reports.
No fewer than 22 soldiers are currently recuperating in a hospital in neighbouring Niger Republic following the attack.
The troops were manning an outpost in Gashigar, Borno State, near the border with Niger, when hundreds of terrorists advanced rapidly towards them, forcing the troops to abandon their position with some diving into the nearby river, top military sources familiar with the development.
The Nigerian Army had on Tuesday distributed a statement announcing the assault on Nigerian troops, but blamed it on “escaping Boko Haram remnants.”
But a day after the statement, which was signed by Sani Usman, a colonel, details of what actually transpired on the battlefield that day and the reaction of commanders on the ground.
News24 previously reported that there are emerging reports that a remote military camp in the northeastern region of Nigeria, has been raided by Boko Haram terrorists, Naij reports.
The insurgents reportedly stormed the camp on Monday, October 17, wounding 13 soldiers and taking away an unknown number of soldiers.