President Bola Ahmed Tinubu confirmed the death of Brigadier General Musa Uba, who was captured and executed by jihadists in the country’s northeast, marking the highest-ranking military loss in years.
ABUJA — Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu confirmed on Tuesday the death of Brigadier General Musa Uba and lamented the loss of two army soldiers following an ambush attributed to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Borno State, in the country’s northeast.
The attack, which occurred last Friday in the town of Wajiroko, in the Damboa area, also resulted in the deaths of two members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a militia that collaborates with the Nigerian armed forces in counter-terrorism operations.
Tinubu conveyed his condolences to the victims’ families through a statement released by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, on the social media platform X late Tuesday. “As commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, I am depressed by the tragic death of our serving soldiers and officers,” Tinubu expressed. He added, “May God comfort the families of Brigadier General Musa Uba and other fallen heroes.”
Various sources have detailed the events following the attack. A high-ranking army officer, who requested anonymity, confirmed to EFE that the general was captured by jihadists following the ambush and subsequently executed. The Amaq news agency, linked to the Islamic State (IS), reported on Monday that Musa Uba fled to a nearby forest after the confrontation but was captured by insurgents on Saturday, at which point he was interrogated and finally killed.
Nigerian intelligence told AFP that General Musa Uba had been kidnapped, fearing the worst outcome. The army initially ruled out that Uba had been captured during the attack, but various military sources and international media finally confirmed his death.
President Tinubu also asked for collaboration from communities, especially in areas most hit by violence, to share any relevant information and intelligence that could help the army and police. Tinubu urged community leaders and citizens to “share useful information,” underscoring that this cooperation is crucial to addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.
Northeast Nigeria has suffered from a security crisis since 2009, when the jihadist group Boko Haram began attacks that intensified following the emergence in 2016 of ISWAP, a dissident faction focused on fighting the Nigerian army. Both organizations seek to impose an Islamic state in a country characterized by a Muslim majority in the north and a Christian majority in the south.
The insurgency led by Boko Haram and ISWAP has caused more than 40,000 deaths and displaced nearly two million people internally since 2009, according to UN data, in addition to provoking displacement in neighboring countries such as Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.
The murder of Musa Uba makes him the highest-ranking military officer killed in the armed conflict since 2021, when General Dzarma Zirkusu died in another jihadist ambush.
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