Boko Haram Attacks Convoy of Operation Lafiya Dole Commander

Boko Haram Attacks Convoy of Operation Lafiya Dole Commander

Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri

The Head of the military counter-insurgency operation in the Northeast (Operation Lafiya Dole), Maj. Gen. Olusegun Adeniyi yesterday survived Boko Haram attack, after his convoy was ambushed by the insurgents.

Channels TV reported that Adeniyi was returning to his base after an argument with the Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara, who had accused the soldiers and policemen manning Borno State highways of extorting his people.

The governor got angry when he reached Njimtilo and met hundreds of motorists stranded at the spot where a gate was constructed on the highway to check people coming into or leaving Maiduguri, the state capital.

Umara alleged that the military and police collected bribes of N1,000 from travellers who did not have national identity cards.

The governor asked one of his aides to call Adeniyi to come to the scene.

When Adeniyi got the scene, the governor confronted him with the allegation against the soldiers but the commander insisted that it was Boko Haram attacks that made the motorists to be stranded and not extortion by soldiers.

Adeniyi explained that the massive gridlock was not caused by soldiers at the checkpoint but as a result of an attack somewhere on the highway early in the day.

He, however, promised the governor to investigate the allegation of extortion to find out if it was true.

But his explanation further annoyed the governor, who insisted that the accusation was true because he was an eyewitness.

It was gathered that when the military commander was returning to his base after the argument, his convoy was attacked and his car badly damaged but he escaped unhurt.

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