Twenty-three Nigerian soldiers are missing after Boko Haram jihadists ambushed a convoy in the remote northeast of the country, said military and civilian vigilante sources on Saturday.
23 troops have not been accounted for and they include five officers and 18 soldiers, a military officer in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, told AFP on condition of anonymity.
They came under attack from Boko Haram terrorists in Balagallaye village in the Boboshe area outside Bama the officer said.
The officer said that on Friday afternoon the soldiers had received a report that around 100 terrorists had gathered in Boboshe and that the troops mobilised to fight them”.
Only three vehicles have made it back to Bama, the remaining eight and scores of soldiers are still missing and their fate is still unclear he said.
A member of the civilian militia confirmed the officer’s account, saying that dozens of soldiers are still missing.
It is not known if they escaped into the bush or were killed or captured.