The Boko Haram sect has reportedly killed 25 soldiers and scores of civilians in an ambush in Borno State.
The insurgent group reportedly attacked the soldiers on Saturday morning while they were evacuating people from villages in the state.
The fighters were said to have opened fire on the soldiers and the villagers who were reportedly occupying about 50 vehicles.
However, Col. Sagir Musa, acting Director, Army Public Relations, in a reaction Sunday, said: ”There is no truth in the report or claims that 25 soldiers were killed by Boko Haram. It is fake. No report of any terrorist attack on troops in Borno State at this moment.”
But, a civilain Joint Task Force, JTF, member, told Reuters: “They ambushed and surrounded the vehicles of both the soldiers and the civilians and opened fire on them.
“They exchanged fire for some minutes before the Boko Haram militants overpowered the soldiers.”
On Wednesday, the sect had released videos of some military men believed to have been captured on the battlefront in the North-East.
The insurgents paraded before cameras some captives who identified themselves with their military service numbers, units and names.
Personnel of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police Force who were among the captives disclosed the locations they were captured.
The Nigerian military has continued to suffer heavy losses as Boko Haram fighters have launched several attacks on their formation in the north-east.
On May 3, the Islamic State (IS) said it killed 10 soldiers in an attack on a barrack in Magumeri, a community in the state.
