The Nigerian Army says it has recovered the bodies of all the soldiers killed during an attack on three military bases in Metele, Borno State. This followed reports that the bodies of the slain soldiers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force are yet to be evacuated. The clarification by the military authorities comes about two weeks after the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a Boko Haram splinter group, killed dozens of soldiers in Metele, a remote village near the border with the Niger Republic.

According to the Army, “For the avoidance of doubt, immediately after the attack, reinforcement was sent to the location. Thereafter, a special search and rescue team led by a senior military officer was constituted and equally dispatched. “The team worked tirelessly, searching all the nooks and crannies of the general area and have evacuated all the gallant troops that paid the supreme price in defence of their fatherland.”