Troops begin rescue operation for missing commanding officer in Taraba

The army on Wednesday said troops of 93 Battalion have begun a search and rescue mission for the commander of the unit who went missing in action.

The incident happened while the soldiers were responding to an attack on Tati community, in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State, the army said.

The Army’s spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement, said the troops were swiftly deployed on receiving a distress call that Tati community was under attack and was being razed by suspected bandits.

Mr Nwachukwu, a Brigadier General, said “while in pursuit of the bandits, troops fell into an ambush staged by the criminals. The troops fought fiercely through the ambush, killing four of the bandits. Sadly, during the firefight, six soldiers were killed while the personnel is missing in action.

Though Mr Nwachukwu did not identify the missing personnel, PREMIUM TIMES obtained an internal memo sent by the Nigerian Army 93 Battalion in Takum, which stated that the commanding officer of the battalion, E.S Okore, a lieutenant colonel, was yet to be accounted for.

The commanding officer, who was part of the soldiers who responded to the distress call by locals, is said to be missing in action.

Mr Nwachukwu said a reinforcement team from the 6 Brigade was deployed against the fleeing bandits at Ananum village in Donga Local Government Area of the state and neutralised two additional bandits.

He said the troops recovered one Ak 47 rifle, one pistol, one locally fabricated gun, two AK 47 Magazines, 19 rounds of 7.62 mm special, seven rounds of 9 mm ammunition, and three motorbikes.

“Troops are currently in pursuit of the bandits and will leave no stone unturned in the ongoing search and rescue operations for the missing personnel.

“The good people of Taraba State are enjoined to be vigilant and report any suspicious movement to security agencies,” the army authority appealed to Taraba residents.