Nigerian Army Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. Okore Still Missing 8 Days After Terrorists Ambushed Military Convoy In Taraba

Lieutenant Colonel Ememike S. Okore (N/11717), an army commanding officer, who was declared missing following an ambush by gunmen suspected to be terrorists in Taraba State is yet to be found, according to SaharaReporters.

Gunmen last Tuesday ambushed a military convoy in Tati village, killing six soldiers and kidnapping Lieutenant Colonel Okore.

Those killed were Dauda Tata (7NA/44/4046), Yusuf Salihu (95NA/40/5031), Ndubuise Okonkwo (96NA/42/6911), Abdullahi Ibrahim (13NA/70/7901), Emmanuel Jerry (14NA/72/14051) and Sani Isa (14NA/72/15462).

In a statement last Wednesday, Army spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu, said troops of the 93 Battalion had launched an operation to rescue the abducted senior officer.

“Troops are currently in pursuit of the bandits and will leave no stone unturned in the ongoing search and rescue operations for the missing personnel,” he had said.

“The good people of Taraba state are enjoined to be vigilant and report any suspicious movement to security agencies.”

However, eight days after the attack and seven days after the statement released by the army, the lieutenant colonel has yet to be found or rescued.

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters learnt that Okore was illegally dismissed by the army authorities in 2015 but was reinstated by the National Industrial Court in 2018.

He was among senior officers accused of failing to perform their military duties during a fight against Boko Haram which resulted in the militants’ capture of Baga, the centre of a multinational force in Borno State. 

The missing officer, then a Major in the army was tried by a special court-martial for cowardice.