Boko Haram insurgents have launched a deadly assault on a joint security position near Muna, on the outskirts of Maiduguri, killing an officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and injuring several soldiers of the 195 Battalion, Chronicle Reporters has learnt.
The attack occurred at about 2:00 a.m. on November 30, when the militants stormed the “Charly Company” location and opened fire on personnel stationed at the base. Reinforcement from neighbouring units reportedly arrived shortly after the incursion, forcing the insurgents to withdraw into the bush.
The slain officer has been identified as Assistant Immigration Officer IA II Lucky, a member of the NIS Batch 13 contingent deployed under Operation Hadin Kai.
Multiple immigration sources who spoke to Chronicle Reporters expressed deep frustration over the continued deployment of NIS officials to frontline battle positions, despite their limited combat training.
“Immigration officers are not trained for frontline combat,” one officer said, describing the deployment as both dangerous and unfair.
“Imagine immigration officers being used in frontline battles with Boko Haram when we are not trained like soldiers. We are given only two magazines to defend ourselves. How do they expect us to survive?”
Another officer lamented that the latest incident adds to a growing list of casualties since their batch was assigned to the counterinsurgency operation.
“This batch alone has lost almost four men in this operation,” he said. “We are overstretched, under-equipped and exposed.”
Some personnel called on the Comptroller General of Immigration to urgently intervene and review the deployment strategy for NIS staff operating in conflict zones.
“The Controller General must come to our aid. Immigration is not a combat force,” a senior officer stressed. “We support operations, but we should not be placed directly in harm’s way.”
Others accused certain senior officials of favouritism in duty rosters, alleging that some officers were being shielded from dangerous assignments.
“The CG should caution his G1 and admin. It looks like they favour some people and leave the rest of us to face the toughest tasks,” one of the sources alleged.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Army had yet to release an official statement on the attack.
Efforts to reach the NIS spokesperson, Akinsola Akinlabi, were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages seeking comment went unanswered.
Security operations have since intensified around the Muna axis, a known insurgent hotspot in Borno State.