…recounts eight days of starvation amidst fierce battle
By Sanni Abdullahi
A Nigerian Army soldier deployed in the fight against Boko Haram has given a first-hand account of an eight-day clearance operation in the hinterlands of Borno State, describing fierce gun battles, the painstaking removal of improvised explosive devices, and days of hunger that pushed troops to the brink as they advanced toward the insurgents’ stronghold at Gulumba Gana.
The soldier, who didn’t provide his name but photographs, while recounting his ordeals in a social media post, detailed the movement from Maiduguri to the border town of Banki, and subsequently into the bush alongside Cameroonian forces, in an account that highlights both the intensity of combat operations in the Northeast and the severe logistical challenges troops continue to face.
According to the account, the journey began after the unit conveyed a fallen colleague and injured personnel to Maiduguri. The team spent the night in the state capital before returning to Banki the next day. By 0800 hours the following morning, the convoy was ready to move.
“I reported to the base that we had departed for Banki, while all other locations were informed to avoid any clash with friendly forces,” the soldier said.
The route took them through Konduga, Bama, and Banki Junction before heading toward Banki itself. It was along that stretch that the troops ran into Boko Haram fighters attempting to cross their path.
“We suddenly came face to face, and the next thing was heavy gunfire from every direction,” he recalled. “We overpowered them, killed two terrorists, while the others escaped into the bush. We pursued them but could not catch them, so we returned to our vehicles and prepared to continue the movement.”
As the convoy pressed on, the soldiers maintained constant vigilance for roadside explosives. The team scanned the road and removed several IEDs before finally arriving in Banki at about 1700 hours.
Discipline under fire remained strict. “At night, we never turned on lights outside the trenches to avoid attracting enemy fire. Basically, we did not use our phones,” he said. The unit returned to defensive positions and began preparations for the next phase of operations.
The Push for Gulumba Gana
Days later, orders came down to clear and capture Gulumba Gana, an area long identified by security sources as a Boko Haram enclave. The soldier was assigned as the signals communication personnel for the patrol, a role that required him to maintain contact with headquarters throughout the mission.
Aware that logistics would be limited, he packed what he could: water, dates, raw garri, bread, and soft drinks.
“Hunger was our greatest weakness,” he explained. “I prepared myself carefully.”
What followed was more than a week in the bush. The troops moved through dense vegetation, clearing suspected insurgent camps and rescuing hostages after fierce engagements. “By the grace of God, no soldier was injured during the initial battles, and every terrorist we encountered was neutralized,” he said.
For eight days the unit advanced, operating alongside Cameroonian forces who provided armored support including tanks. The presence of the neighboring troops, he said, boosted morale. “With their firepower, we approached enemy camps directly without fear.”
But as the days wore on, supplies ran out.
“Unfortunately, all the food I had brought finished. There was nowhere to buy food, and hunger became our greatest challenge once again,” he said.
The situation grew desperate. Troops resorted to hunting any animal they encountered for food. “At first, I struggled to eat it, but hunger eventually forced me to join the others,” he admitted. Water was drawn from the same sources used by wildlife, and consumed without treatment.
Nights were spent in all-round defensive formations with tanks, often without food. Despite the exhaustion, the soldier said he continued transmitting situation reports to headquarters every night.
Three Days Without Food
The feeding situation reached a critical point when the soldier went three consecutive days without eating.
“I was weak, exhausted, and mentally drained. At that point, I felt that if the enemy overpowered us, it would simply be the end, but God remained with us,” he said.
The patrol later harbored for the night in a village called Abuja. Food was nonexistent and cooking was not possible.
“A message came for me to transmit, but I realized I could barely speak because of hunger and thirst,” he said.
It was then that a course mate intervened, retrieving a single packet of Indomie noodles from the commander’s vehicle. With water and an empty ammunition container serving as a pot, the noodles were cooked.
“I was about to eat everything, but I realized I would have nothing left for the next day. I divided it into two portions, ate one half, and kept the other half for the following morning,” he said.
That night passed without an attack. The next morning, after prayers, he ate the remaining portion and the unit continued its advance.
“None of us had bathed for all those periods. Our only goal was to reach Gulumba Gana,” he said.
Ongoing Fight in the Northeast
The account comes amid ongoing joint operations by Nigerian and regional forces to degrade Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province fighters in the Lake Chad Basin. Banki, located on the Nigeria-Cameroon border, has remained a strategic corridor for both military movement and insurgent activity.
Military authorities have repeatedly emphasized the importance of clearance operations to reclaim territory and secure communities, even as troops contend with difficult terrain, IED threats, and stretched supply lines.
The soldier said the mission toward Gulumba Gana was still in progress at the time of his account.
The Nigerian Army has not yet issued an official statement on the soldier’s claims, nor cleared the air on specific operation described in the soldier’s account.
