Four soldiers were feared killed in a Boko Haram ambush at Auno, near Jakana along the Maiduguri-Damaturu road in Borno State.

Our correspondent gathered that the incident occurred on Thursday night at about 10:50 pm. Some soldiers serving in the area said the troops were ambushed while going to reinforce colleagues under attack.

One of the soldiers, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Friday, said the terrorists laid a “maximum” ambush using controlled mines.

He narrated, “We lost soldiers there. They ambushed them last night. The troops went for reinforcement and four soldiers died immediately.

The location is, when you pass Jakana coming from Damaturu, there is a village called Auno under Unit 3 Battalion. Boko Haram attacked them around 10:50 pm. The troops killed were the standby soldiers. When there is an attack, they are the ones sent to reinforce. While going, Boko Haram laid a maximum ambush with controlled mines.”

Another security source identified one of the victims as Saidu, describing him as a jovial soldier.

“Me and Saidu were in the same barracks. He was very funny. They were on their way to rescue fellow soldiers who were under attack when they encountered the ambush,” he said.

Efforts to get confirmation from the spokesperson for Operation Hadin Kai, Lt Col Sanni Uba, were unsuccessful as he neither picked nor returned calls by press time.

Auno, located 24 km from Maiduguri along the Maiduguri-Damaturu highway, has faced an extremely volatile security situation. It is considered a hotspot for Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgent activity, with frequent attacks on both military checkpoints and civilians in recent times. (Saturday PUNCH)