Kayode Idowu

Forty-eight corpses of persons killed by Boko Haram insurgents during an oil exploration to the Lake Chad Basin have been brought to the Maiduguri Teaching Hospital in the Borno State capital.

Sources at the UMTH and the Maimalari Army Barrack told The PUNCH that the corpses were brought into Maiduguri from the scene of the attack.

The corpses brought include 18 soldiers, 15 Civilian JTF, five university staff and four NNPC drivers.



Also six persons who were wounded in the attack but escaped to somewhere in Yobe State were later found dead and brought to Maiduguri.

Apart from the wounded soldiers admitted to military hospital in the town, two members of the Civilian JTF were as at Thursday on admission at the UMTH.

The Army, in a press statement on Wednesday by it’s spokesman, Brig. Gen. Sani Usman, had claimed that all the NNPC staff abducted in the Tuesday’s ambush had been rescued.

Usman, in the statement, said: “On receipt of the information, the Brigade mobilized and sent reinforcement, search and rescue party that include the Armed Forces Special Forces and guides that worked and pursued the terrorists throughout the night.

“So far, they have rescued all the NNPC staff and recovered the corpses of the Officer, 8 soldiers and a civilian who have been evacuated to 7 Division Medical Services and Hospital.

“The team recovered 4 vehicles one of which include a gun truck mounted with an Anti-Aircraft Gun, 2 white Hilux taken away from NNPC staff and 1 blue Hilux belonging to CJTF. The team also recovered large quantities of arms and ammunition, several spare tyres, many jerry cans of containing Petroleum, Oil and Lubricant, assorted drugs, Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making materials, reflective jackets and a Motorola handheld radio, among others. The team also neutralized many of the terrorists.”

But investigations by our correspondent revealed that five lecturers from the University of Maiduguri in the exploration team were killed.

Names of three of the lost were given as Dr. Joseph Millitus, Dr. Manaja Uba and Idris Njodi.

A family of one of the deceased (Dr. Joseph Millitus), Daniel Millitus told our correspondent that the family was still in grief over the lost of one of the rising stars of the family.

Daniel Millitus, who is a pastor in one of the parishes of Redeemed Christian Church of God in Maiduguri, said the family is making arrangements for the burial of their son.

Another relative of a slain lecturer (Dr. Manaja Uba), said the family was still in shock and found it difficult to believe that “Manaja was no more.”

She lamented that another relative (Yusuf Ibrahim) also in the exploration team is still missing.

When contacted on phone by journalists, the spokesman of the University of Maiduguri, Professor Danjuma Gambo, said, he was in Abuja and, therefore, has limited access to information on happenings at the institution.

He, however, promised to get more information on the claims as soon as he gets back on campus from Abuja.

The Deputy Director Army Public Relations, Col. Kingsley Samuel, when contacted on the matter, said it was not within the purview of the 7 Division where he is the spokesman.

He asked that: “You have to get in contact with Abuja on this, as I have no available information. It is under the 8 division.”

http://punchng.com/ambush-of-oil-workers-corpses-of-18-soldiers-30-others-arrive-maiduguri/

RIP to them.


Eyaaa!

This is not good at all.

This is too bad.

The oil workers ought to have been heavily secured since they were in hostile territory.

If we are still battling with insurgency then of what use is discovering oil expect we want a repeat of what is happening in the Niger Delta region.

The government led by president Goodluck Jonathan would have defeated boko haram but APC used it to play politics. Even at this moment APC is still blaming Him for boko haram insurgency. I will continue to say it that boko haram get inspirations from the koran not from the person of the immediate past president.

Austin4lif:
The government led by president Goodluck Jonathan would have defeated boko haram but APC used it to play politics. Even at this moment APC is still blaming Him for boko haram insurgency. I will continue to say it that boko haram get inspirations from the koran not from the person of the immediate past president.

Kindly read what you just posted. Read it from left to right this time and judge yourself whether what you posted had an atom of sense.

Ehiscotch:

Kindly read what you just posted. Read it from left to right this time and judge yourself whether what you posted had an atom of sense.

OK you wanted me to say boko haram, isis, taliban,Islamic brotherhood all derive inspiration from the PDP?

May the souls of the dead rest in peace....Amen

Since 2009 this boko haram nonsense started like a child's play,but nothing serious was done to nip it in the bud allowing it to escalate to this point of loosing innocent souls almost daily.Shame to our Government both past and present.So painful

Nigerian government and lies! Just look at how APC and the army is playing partisan politics with the lives of the people! Imagine the army coming out to say they recovered all and lost only 6 army personnel while the causality was much more.
This is the same thing they do with the bomb blast in the north, you would hear cases of 4 suicide bombers and only 3 people died.
This present government Is a shame and scam!
If it was in the last dispensation they would have hyped the figures and death rate!
Karma is catching up with them!
Ndi ara!

RIP. These people have family na, wickedness

Too bad....
APC is a scam.....
I regret wasting my vote.
Never Again!!!!!

Buhari is digging for oil in a terrorists infested desert.
RIP.

God, the numbers of the dead soldiers are too mush o, that is to say boko haram is yet to be defeated at all.

Rest in Peace. Amen

RareDiamond:
Rest in Peace. Amen

you can just imagine.

Too bad, rip to them. I know that propaganda and lies are used in wars but the lies and cover ups by the NA is just too much.

This is just political oil drilling!

Why search for oil in a terrorist infested region. The APC wanted cheap popularity and here it is. Why the double speak now from the army. We just hope that this story is completely false...let me just try to believe the army and watch as more stories unfold!

APC....Sad!!!

Moderators 4 hours this isn't on the front page it is to be doing PR for failed Burantai and be making it seem like he is working

their blood will be on buhari head stupid man.