Hospital in the Borno State capital.
Sources at
the UMTH and the Maimalari Army Barrack told The PUNCH that the corpses were
brought into Maiduguri from the scene of the attack.
The corpses
brought include 18 soldiers, 15 Civilian JTF, five university staff and four
NNPC drivers.
Also six
persons who were wounded in the attack but escaped to somewhere in Yobe State
were later found dead and brought to Maiduguri.
Apart from
the wounded soldiers admitted to military hospital in the town, two members of
the Civilian JTF were as at Thursday on admission at the UMTH.
The Army, in
a press statement on Wednesday by it’s spokesman, Brig. Gen. Sani Usman, had
claimed that all the NNPC staff abducted in the Tuesday’s ambush had been
rescued.
Usman, in
the statement, said: “On receipt of the information, the Brigade mobilized and
sent reinforcement, search and rescue party that include the Armed Forces
Special Forces and guides that worked and pursued the terrorists throughout the
night.
“So far,
they have rescued all the NNPC staff and recovered the corpses of the Officer,
8 soldiers and a civilian who have been evacuated to 7 Division Medical
Services and Hospital.
“The team
recovered 4 vehicles one of which include a gun truck mounted with an
Anti-Aircraft Gun, 2 white Hilux taken away from NNPC staff and 1 blue Hilux
belonging to CJTF. The team also recovered large quantities of arms and
ammunition, several spare tyres, many jerry cans of containing Petroleum, Oil
and Lubricant, assorted drugs, Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making materials,
reflective jackets and a Motorola handheld radio, among others. The team also
neutralized many of the terrorists.”
But
investigations by our correspondent revealed that five lecturers from the
University of Maiduguri in the exploration team were killed.
Names of
three of the lost were given as Dr. Joseph Millitus, Dr. Manaja Uba and Idris
Njodi.
A family of
one of the deceased (Dr. Joseph Millitus), Daniel Millitus told our
correspondent that the family was still in grief over the lost of one of the
rising stars of the family.
Daniel
Millitus, who is a pastor in one of the parishes of Redeemed Christian Church
of God in Maiduguri, said the family is making arrangements for the burial of
their son.
Another
relative of a slain lecturer (Dr. Manaja Uba), said the family was still in
shock and found it difficult to believe that “Manaja was no more.”
She lamented
that another relative (Yusuf Ibrahim) also in the exploration team is still
missing.
When
contacted on phone by journalists, the spokesman of the University of
Maiduguri, Professor Danjuma Gambo, said, he was in Abuja and, therefore, has
limited access to information on happenings at the institution.
He, however,
promised to get more information on the claims as soon as he gets back on
campus from Abuja.
The Deputy
Director Army Public Relations, Col. Kingsley Samuel, when contacted on the
matter, said it was not within the purview of the 7 Division where he is the
spokesman.
He asked that:
“You have to get in contact with Abuja on this, as I have no available
information. It is under the 8 division.”
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