‘One soldier killed’ as insurgents attack troops escorting passengers on Maiduguri-Damboa road

One soldier has been reportedly killed by Boko Haram insurgents who attacked a convoy of troops on the Maiduguri-Damboa road.

The troops were said to be escorting passengers in commercial vehicles on Saturday when they ran into an ambush laid by the insurgents in Falouja, a village along the road.

According to Zagazola Makama, a publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the troops engaged the insurgents in a shootout that lasted for hours.

Passengers were said to have scampered for safety while the gun duel lasted.

Makama quoted a source as saying the insurgents “attacked the troops with a rocket-propelled grenade(RPG), before following it with a rapid gunfire”.

“Despite the attack by the insurgents, the troops were able to safeguard all the passengers to their safe destination,” the source added.

Three other soldiers said to have been injured were evacuated to a hospital in Damboa for treatment.

The Maiduguri-Damboa road was shut in 2014 following a series of attacks.

The road was, however, reopened in 2016 when an army brigade was assigned to secure passengers.

In November 2018, the road, serving three towns and a dozen communities, was closed again for 13 months.

The army had said the decision was taken to enable the troops to contain attacks by the Boko Haram terrorist group.

It was, however, reopened in 2022 after several pleas by Babagana Zulum, governor of the state.