About 25 soldiers have reportedly lost their lives after some members of the dreaded Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād ambushed them during a clearance operation in Borno state.

According to Sahara Reporters, the terrorists struck as the soldiers patrolled to clear some Boko Haram elements in Monguno area on September 16, 2021. Some soldiers are still missing.

Military operational vehicles, several weapons, and ammunition were also stolen during the attack.

Monguno is north from Maiduguri, the state capital, and hosted thousands of Internally Displaced Persons mostly from Dikwa and Marte council areas.

READ ALSO: Imo Residents Kill IPOB Member, Obinwanne For Enforcing Sit-At-Home — Police [PHOTO]

“At least 25 soldiers have been confirmed dead, the authorities have contacted some of their families, their bodies are already deposited at the morgue,” a source revealed.

The attack comes a few days after the insurgents killed 10 Nigerian soldiers after dislodging a military base in Rann, the administrative headquarters of Kala-Balge Local Government Area of Borno State.

Imo state police command says residents of Umuagbavo Oru Ahiara in Ahiazu Mbaise local government area on Monday killed one Obinwanne Iwu, 34-year-old for looting shop and enforcing the sit-at-home order issued by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, a group he and other suspects that later fled the scene allegedly belonged to.

The command in a statement made available to ABN TV by PPRO, Michael Abattam said the deceased Obinwanne was an escapee IPOB member from Nigeria Correctional Service in Imo State.

“Shops were opened and people were going about their lawful businesses. When one Obinwanne Iwu ‘m’ age 34 years, a native Ahiara in Ahiazu Mbaise LGA of Imo State, an escapee of Imo Correctional Centre Owerri and a member of the proscribed IPOB/ESN terror group, came to the market with members of his gang attacking, looting opened shops and forcing people to lock up their shops and preventing them from doing their legitimate businesses.

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“Shouting at the top of their voices “today is Monday and everybody must obey the sit at home order “. This did not go down well with the people who resisted it in its entirety.

“In the pandemonium that ensured, angry mobs in their numbers held the leader of the gang, one Obinwanne Iwu tied his hands behind, while others fleed the scene into hiding. In the process, he was mercilessly beaten to death, before the police patrol team arrived the scene” the statement partly read.

The command says all efforts to arrest the suspects proved abortive as they fled upon sighting the police patrol team.

While condemning the act, the Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Hussaini urged residents to avoid taking laws into their hands.

“The Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, CP Rabiu Hussaini psc, while condemning the barbaric act, advised members of the public to always hand over suspects to the Police for proper investigation and prosecution. Instead of taking the laws into their hands.

“He then, set up an investigating team from the State Criminal Intelligence Investigation Department (SCIID) of the command to commence investigation into the mob action.”