The Brigade Commander, M. Uba, earlier declared safe by the Nigerian Army after an ambush by fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) along the Damboa–Biu axis in Borno State, has now been reported dead.
ISWAP on Sunday released photographs and a detailed statement claiming it had captured and executed the senior officer. The group published the announcement in Arabic via its propaganda outlet, Amaq, where it alleged that Mr Uba was seized, interrogated, and killed.
The insurgents shared a collage showing the commander in his office and another purportedly taken after his capture.
“A picture of the brigade commander from inside his office and a picture of him after he was captured by the Islamic State,” the group wrote.
According to the terror group, its fighters overpowered the commander during what it described as a “successful ambush” on troops in Borno. ISWAP claimed Mr Uba initially escaped the attack at Wajiroko but was later found wounded near a village. One of the images released shows the officer’s camouflage trousers stained with blood around the legs.
The group said it interrogated him before executing him, taunting the Nigerian Army for issuing what it called an “outright lie and a miserable security failure.”
However, on Saturday, the Army spokesperson, Onyechi Anele, had dismissed reports of his capture. He insisted that the brigadier general repelled the ambush “with superior firepower,” forcing the attackers to withdraw in disarray.
Anele said Uba successfully led his troops back to base, adding that two CJTF operatives and two soldiers were killed during the gun battle.
Shortly after, Mr Uba was also reported to have released a video statement asserting that he was alive, unharmed, and fully in command.
Despite the Army’s earlier assurances, Reuters reported that ISWAP later executed the officer after capturing him. Citing a statement issued on the group’s Amaq propaganda channel, the news agency confirmed ISWAP’s responsibility for the ambush and its claim that Mr Uba was killed.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Army has yet to issue any response to ISWAP’s latest claims or the circulating images.