Before his death, slain Lt.-Col. Abu was preparing for Sambisa operation

Slain Lieutenant Colonel, Muhammad Abu-Ali was set to be withdrawn from his duties at Mallam Fatori, northern Borno before he was killed by Boko Haram terrorists on Friday night, The Cable reports.

According to a senior Army official, Abu-Ali who was commanding officer of the 272 Task Force Tank Battalion, was already making preparations to participate in a raid on Sambisa forest.

“Ali went to Mallam Fatori, and the while thing was successful, it was after the operation that this Boko Haram attack was launched.

“The army was preparing for an attack in Sambisa, so Ali was to withdraw from Mallam Fatori ahead of the Sambisa operation. He was preparing to come back when this thing happened.

“There was serious preparation, which means it would happen soon. He had already received orders to withdraw from Mallam Fatori and come for onward movement to Sambisa. It also means that if Boko Haram had delayed that attack by a few days, Ali might have left Mallam Fatori alive.”

The official also said the attack was sudden, and Ali was not in his tank – his most loved weapon, when it happened.

“He was outside the tank; he was outside with his radio system. And because it was dark, nobody could exactly see the enemies who shot him,” he said.

“The firing came from behind. When these people [Boko Haram] came, he went towards that direction to see what was happening. He was not in the tank.”

He also said many of those killed may have survived if they had the basic tools for performing night attacks.

“You know, night attacks are always difficult,” he said.

“If you’re going for night attacks, you need your night sight — your night vision goggle — so that you can identify your targets clearly. You know what it means to fight in the dark? Confusion. You don’t know who is who.

“But I tell you what, there are only two night vision goggles to an entire battalion. In some cases, you will even find a battalion that has no single night vision goggle.”

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