83 believed to be missing after soldiers unable to fight off Boko Haram attack
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Senior military officers say 83 soldiers are missing after Boko Haram Islamic extremists attacked a remote base in northeastern Nigeria.
Officers said the soldiers were unable to fight back because they were poorly equipped. Morale also was low among the troops because they were being rationed to one meal a day and their allowances were being pilfered by their commanders, the officers said.
Army spokesman Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman said last week that some soldiers were missing and 13 wounded when the insurgents on Oct. 17 attacked their base in Gashigar village, on the border with Niger. Usman has not responded to requests for comment about the actual number.
Officers say dozens of fleeing troops jumped into the Niger River and 22 were pulled from the water by soldiers from the neighbouring country. They say many may have drowned.
President Muhammadu Buhari promised to better arm Nigeria’s military when he was elected in March 2015, blaming corruption for the deaths of thousands including soldiers in the seven-year-old Islamic insurgency that has killed more than 20,000 people.
Billions of dollars meant to buy arms were stolen or diverted to the presidential campaign of former President Goodluck Jonathan, according to ongoing court cases.