Senator Ali Ndume, the lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District, has revealed that former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd), was recently attacked by unknown gunmen in Borno State.
Buratai, who served as Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff from 2015 to 2021, was a central figure in the nation’s counterinsurgency operations against Boko Haram and other terror groups in the North-East.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday evening, Senator Ndume disclosed that the retired army general and a convoy of vehicles, including troops escorting him, ran into an ambush near a frontline military base in Borno.
He described the incident as a fierce gun battle between the attackers—believed to be Boko Haram insurgents—and the military personnel in Buratai’s convoy.
“We are in a dire security situation. Just two days ago, Buratai was attacked near a forward operations base in Borno,” Ndume said.
“His team responded gallantly, but the insurgents managed to destroy several military assets.”
According to Ndume, the attackers targeted high-value military equipment, including Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPVs), tanks, and heavy-duty machine guns. In some cases, he said, the insurgents not only destroyed the assets but also looted weapons and other critical military hardware.
“The situation in Borno is deteriorating rapidly. Insurgents now.
