As reported by Premium Times:
The terrorists arrived suddenly at 4:00 p.m.
that ill-fated Wednesday, November 5, catching
the Nigerian soldiers and their commanders
off-guard. As they invaded the headquarters of
the 174 Battalion, Abadan Local Government
Area of Borno State, located close to the
Nigerian border with Niger, the Boko Haram
insurgents, in hundreds, began to shoot
sporadically in all directions.
Nigerian soldiers on patrol in Maiduguri
Premium Times
According to witnesses, the terrorists were led
into the battalion headquarters by insurgents
bearing a number of Rocket Propelled
Grenades (a shoulder-launched anti-tank
weapon) and machine guns mounted on Hilux
vans. Other insurgents, bearing AK-47 rifles,
followed behind, shooting and chanting “Allahu
Akbar! Allahu Akbar” (May God be praised).
For minutes, the attackers were repelled by
Nigerian soldiers who returned fire, and at
some point, appeared to be gaining the upper
hand, our sources said.
But the troops capitulated shortly after more
insurgents advanced on the camp from several
directions, hurling grenades at them and
shooting non-stop, our sources said. The
soldiers fled the scene as it became
clear they were less armed and prepared for
battle.
Several Nigerian soldiers who took part in the
fighting have narrated how Boko Haram
secured yet again another victory over
government forces, a defeat they blamed on
their arms and the morale of the fighting force.
Boko Haram has seized many towns and
communities in recent months, sacking
security facilities while soldiers flee, in what
appears the worst defeat yet for the Nigerian
military since the insurgents launched a bloody
campaign in 2009.
The 174 Battalion, which was moved from its
Lagos base to the Nigerien border in Nigeria’s
bid to rev up the war against the extremist
Boko Haram sect, had over 300 soldiers. Over
a thousand insurgents attacked the troops,
witnesses said.
Before long, military insiders said, the soldiers
began to abandon the battle in droves,
throwing away their uniforms and yielding
their arms to the terrorists. The terrorists
followed in pursuit as majority of the soldiers
and officers fled across the border into
neighbouring Niger where some of them were
hospitalized.
A yet unknown number of soldiers were killed;
some declared missing while several others
were injured, our sources said.
After the Nigerian soldiers fled, military
officials said, the Boko Haram insurgents
ransacked the camp, looting the battalion
armoury and offices.
“They went away with every weapon we had,”
one of the soldiers who partook in the battle
told PREMIUM TIMES. “RPGs, armoured tanks,
rifles, ammunition, I mean everything. As we
are now, we have nothing. They have gone
away with everything.”
He added, “We were simply overpowered. They
were far more in number and the weapons they
carried were far more than what we had. They
could have finished all of us if we hadn’t fled.”
The spokesperson of the Defence
Headquarters, Chris Olukolade, did not
answer or return calls seeking comment for
this story.
But a top military commander, who asked not
to be named because he was not authorized to
speak on the matter, confirmed the incident to
PREMIUM TIMES.
“I can’t confirm to you that it happened but we
have managed to bring back the soldiers to
Nigeria,” the general said. “The matter is being
investigated.”
He blamed the incident on cowardice by
soldiers of the battalion saying, “Initially, they
were talking of weapons. But the weapons have
started arriving. The problem now is the
mentality of our soldiers. A lot of them are just
cowards and should not have been recruited
into the Army in the first place. The fact is if
you don’t have the mentality of a soldier, you
can’t fight a battle no matter the sophistication
of your arm.”
The November 5 attack on the battalion was the
second on the formation by Boko Haram. On
August 4, 2013, the insurgents attacked the
battalion, killing 15 soldiers and wounding
several others.
Before the November 5 attack, some soldiers of
the battalion had told PREMIUM TIMES their
morale was at an all-time low.
“A lot of us have been here for more than two
years without being allowed to see our family,”
one soldier said “We were to be here for six
months but we have now been abandoned here
for two years. We are missing our families and
our morale is zero. Some of us are even
considering going on AWOL (away without
official leave).”
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