Commander removed as military reportedly plans to retake Baga from insurgents
- The Nigerian army is reportedly planning an offensive in Baga town which has been reportedly captured by Boko Haram terrorists
- Multiple sources say Baga town was taken over by the Abu Mus’ab Albarnawi faction of the Boko Haram on Wednesday, December 26, amid denial by the Nigerian Army that the town was under its control
- A source who did not want to be named said the military is planning a massive onslaught by the combined forces of army, navy and air force to reclaim Baga and many other locations taken over by the Boko Haram
The brigade commander of Nigerian Army 7 Brigade, Brigadier General Hassan, has been reportedly removed following the reported capture of Baga town by Boko Haram terrorists.
Daily Trust reports that a new commander would be appointed for the 7 Brigade as part of an offensive by the military to retake the town from the insurgents.
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Multiple sources told the newspaper that Baga town where the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) which also has troops from Chad, Cameroon and Niger, was reportedly taken over by the Abu Mus’ab Albarnawi faction of the Boko Haram on Wednesday, December 27, amid denial by the Nigerian Army that the town was under its control.
“I can assure you that Boko Haram is in control of Baga but there is an ongoing plan to reclaim it,” one of the sources who spoke did not want to be named said.
“A new commander would be appointed for 7 Brigade very soon to replace General Hassan ahead of massive onslaught by the combined forces of Army, Navy and Air Force to reclaim Baga and many other locations taken over by the Boko Haram,” he said.
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Another source said: "The situation is not as the military/government are saying. I think the claim that Baga has been restored is to calm the populace and prevent panic movements from other areas. No troop/force has entered Baga since after the attack. However, the military are planning a counter attack soon. The report that it has been reclaimed is in anticipation of success. A new force is being assembled; they include the old ones and new ones being injected”
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has accused an online news medium, Sahara Reporters, of peddling lies in its report claiming that about 700 soldiers are missing and more than 2,000 have been trapped in Baga.
In a statement signed by the director of Army public relations, Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman and made available to Legit.ng on Friday, December 28, the Army said the report by Sahara Reporters “alleging that such number of soldiers were trapped and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) could not do anything to extricate them” is not only untrue but a deliberate mischief to create erroneous impression about the military.
The Army explained that there is an ongoing clearing and mop up operations in Baga and nobody could give details of the encounter yet.
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