An army officer and three other soldiers on Sunday afternoon lost their lives in a Boko Haram ambush in Boko State, the Nigerian Army confirmed late last night. It said 19 others were also injured in the ambush.

Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, said in a statement: “Today, troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE on administration patrol from Maiduguri encountered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and ambush between Miyanti and Dareljamal, Borno State. The ambush was cleared and 3 Boko Haram terrorists were killed by the troops. They also recovered a Machine Gun, 1 AK-47 Rifle and some quantity of ammunition.

“Unfortunately, we lost an officer and 3 soldiers, while 16 soldiers and 3 Civilian JTF sustained injuries during the encounter. Similarly, 2 vehicles that entered the IED were badly damaged.

“The wounded have since been evacuated and are in stable condition.”