Nigerian Army kills top Boko Haram commander, Ari Gana, 5 others in Borno ambush

Troops of the Nigerian Army’s 144 Battalion in collaboration with hybrid forces have reportedly neutralised a top commander of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād, otherwise known as Boko Haram.

The terrorist leader, Ari Gana, and five of his bodyguards were reportedly killed in Borno, northeast Nigeria.

According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in the Lake Chad region, Gana recently led an attack on a military patrol at Nvaha village along Gwoza to Limankara, killing four passengers and military personnel.

Sources told Makama that the troops engaged and killed the terrorists in Takaskala in the Gwoza Local Government Area of the state.

“On September 25, our troops laid an ambush in the crossing point of the terrorists around the Mandara Mountains. After one hour, a large number of terrorists came to cross with motorcycles.

“On noticing that the team were two in number, the troops waited for the second batch, suspecting that it was Ari Gana and his team. The troops opened fire at them, killing five terrorists including Ari Gana,” the source was quoted as saying.

The report noted that Ari Gana was the second in command to Ali Ngulde, the leader of Boko Haram in the Mandara Mountains and had led dozens of attacks around Bama, Banki and Gwoza.

In early September, the Ari Gana led an IED attack between Banki and Darajamal, killing several persons and burning vehicles, it added.

The source, who was identified as a top military commander, reportedly added that the successful ambush was in continuation of the troops’ renewed offensive operations against terrorists in Borno State.