Army Debunks Claims on Brigadier Braimah’s Death
The Nigerian Army has dismissed as “false, misleading and exaggerated” reports that Brigadier General Oseni Braimah was killed because his vehicle failed to start during an insurgent attack on a military base in Benisheikh, Borno State. It also rejected claims that 17 soldiers died, stating that the verified casualty figure stands at two officers and two soldiers.
In a statement issued Friday by Lt. Col. Sanni Uba, Media Information Officer for the North-East Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai, the military said narratives circulating about a faulty vehicle and mass casualties were “a deliberate attempt to distort facts, undermine ongoing military operations and erode public confidence.”
The attack occurred in the early hours of Thursday, April 9, when Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province fighters assaulted the 29 Task Force Brigade Headquarters in Kaga Local Government Area. Military sources and witnesses who spoke to newsmen on the condition of anonymity had earlier described a chaotic scene, claiming the brigade commander’s bulletproof vehicle malfunctioned during a manoeuvre attempt, leaving him exposed to heavy gunfire. Those accounts placed the death toll at 18, including the Brigade Imam and five other officers, with several personnel still unaccounted for.
Lt. Col. Uba directly addressed these claims. “The Commander was mounted on a high-grade Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, which was temporarily immobilised in the heat of combat while he was actively coordinating the counter-assault,” he stated. He described the situation as reflective of battle intensity, “not equipment failure.”
On casualties, the army spokesman said: “The official and verified report, as earlier released through Defence Headquarters, clearly stated that two officers and two soldiers paid the supreme price in the course of the engagement. Any contrary figure being circulated is entirely false, misleading, and devoid of credibility.”
President Bola Tinubu had, through a statement by Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga on Thursday night, expressed condolences over Braimah’s death, commending the troops for fighting “gallantly to repel the attackers.” The Defence Headquarters, in its own statement by Major General Michael Onoja, confirmed the attack and acknowledged “the loss of a few brave and gallant soldiers” without specifying numbers.
The army further alleged that pictures and videos accompanying some reports were unrelated to the Benisheikh incident and were being deliberately misrepresented to misinform the public. Lt. Col. Uba urged Nigerians to disregard such content, asserting that troops of Operation Hadin Kai repelled the assault and forced the insurgents to retreat.
The attack came amid heightened security concerns that prompted the United States Embassy in Abuja to suspend visa appointments and issue a travel advisory citing terrorism, kidnapping, and civil unrest risks across several Nigerian states.