Vice President Kashim Shettima has visited Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, to express his condolences to the Nigerian Army and the state government following the recent attack on military troops in Benisheikh, which killed several officers and soldiers, including Brigadier General Oseni Braimah.
Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), confirmed the visit on behalf of President Bola Tinubu in a statement issued on Saturday.
Shettima stated that the slain troops died in the service of the nation and that their sacrifice demonstrated the cost of peace and security.
“These men wore the uniform for all of us. They stood to protect our communities, our families, and the future of our children. Their courage reminds us that peace and security often come at a very heavy cost,” he said.
The President’s condolence visit follows a deadly midnight assault on a military base in Benisheikh, Borno State, where suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province fighters reportedly launched coordinated attacks on multiple military positions around 12:30 am on Thursday.
Tinubu pledged the Federal Government’s continued support, stating that criminals will have no hiding place under his administration.
The attackers were believed to have approached in huge numbers, striking at least three military formations before moving into neighboring civilian districts, in what surviving soldiers described as one of the most intensive attacks in recent months.
A soldier who survived the attack described the extent and coordination as unprecedented, saying that the attackers appeared to have studied military sites beforehand.
“We are used to coordinated attacks, but this was different. They came in large numbers from different directions at the same time,” he said.
However, the headquarters of Operation Hadin Kai has denied allegations that 17 soldiers, including the brigade commander, were killed in the raid.
Lt. Col. Sani Uba, the Northeast Joint Task Force’s Media Information Officer, stated that only two officers and two troops died during the combat, calling opposing estimates incorrect and misleading.
He also refuted accusations that the brigade commander’s vehicle failed during the operation, stating that the commander was in a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle that was only temporarily immobilized during fighting while coordinating the reaction.
Uba stated that the occurrence reflected the intensity of the combat and the presence of leadership on the front lines, rather than any equipment failure, and insisted that the official casualty statistics remain those issued by defense headquarters.
