At least six soldiers have died, while 26 others are injured with many more still missing, following an ambush on Nigerian troops by some Boko Haram members, Saturday.
The ambush, according to military officials that briefed on the matter, occurred at about 2:30 p.m. Saturday between Jagiran and Monguno, one of the hotspots of the decade-long Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State.
The terrorists also carted away a Toyota bullet-proof Land Cruiser SUV with desert camouflage colour, belonging to the acting commander of the 3rd Armoured Division.
Army authorities fear that the vehicle could be repainted with disguise in order to gain entry into military bases.
To that end, the army has also placed the Nigerian troops in the different locations on red alert, urging them to scuttle further escalation of trouble from the terrorists if they sniff any. The police have also been notified to look out for the SUV across the country, a military source said.
The police were urged to use tact should they spot an SUV approaching their location either mounted with a gun or not.
A spokesman of the army, Sagir Musa, did not return calls and a text message sent to him Sunday evening.
Meanwhile, last week, the Nigerian Army flagged off a manhunt for the fourth batch of wanted Boko Haram terrorists, during which they co-opted more Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) members into the operation.
The Boko Haram war has had a huge impact on human and economic assets in Nigeria with millions of Nigerians displaced, thousands killed and trillions sunk into the war in the past decade.
