9th September, 2014
Abiodun Onafuye/Abeokuta
President Olusegun Obasanjo’s son, Lt. Col. Adeboye Obasanjo, who was ambushed and shot along with other soldiers Monday in Mubi, has been flown to Abuja for further medical treatment.
A Defence Headquarters source confirmed to P.M.NEWS Tuesday that Lt. Col. Obasanjo and four other soldiers who were injured during the attack in Mubi, were airlifted to Abuja Tuesday after they were treated at the Military Base Hospital in Maiduguri.
The source said the victims were responding to treatment and in stable condition but declined to provide further details.
Lt. Col. Obasanjo was shot in the thigh and right hand when he and his platoon came under attack by Boko Haram militants at Baza, which is the village of the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 3rd Division. Twenty-four soldiers in the platoon were reportedly killed by the militants.
According to reports, Lieutenant Agwu of the 234 Battalion, GOC of the 3rd Division, Major Gen. J.S. Zaruwa and Colonel Victor Ebhaleme, the Brigade Commander of the 23rd Army Brigade in Yola, were advancing towards Michika when Boko Haram ambushed them.
The terrorists also seized the military’s armoured tank after the attack, prompting the army to relocate sensitive weapons from Mubi to the Brigade headquarters in Yola.
Following Monday’s fierce gun battle, Mubi has been deserted while schools have been shut.
Our correspondent could not reach the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, to react to the shooting of his son because he was said to have travelled to Singapore.
He had not responded to a text message sent to his mobile phone by our correspondent at the time of this report.
But in his reaction, one of the aides to Obasanjo, who pleaded anonymity, revealed that the former President has been informed about the incident and has spoken with his son.
“He got the information as other Nigerians received it and what we gathered was that a top official from the Defence Headquarters called him to inform him yesterday morning and you know he is in Singapore right now and I don’t know how he feels because I am not there with him.
“But from some of our colleagues over there who spoke with us here, they said he did not feel too bad about Adeboye’s fate but was more concerned about those that died from the bullets of the Boko Haram militants. An unconfirmed information at my disposal is that he has spoken with Adeboye himself but I can’t say if that is true or not. But before the end of the day maybe an official statement will be out,” the aide said.
A family member, who also craved anonymity, told P.M.NEWS on phone that the news was a big shock to the family, but they have been warned not to speak until Obasanjo himself is back in the country.
According to the family source, who is also a Chief, “it is too bad, but he is doing his job and I pray that God will heal him and I also commiserate with the families of all those that have died in the hands of these Boko Haram people.I got the information around 7pm yesterday through one of our sons, whose name I don’t want to mention here. I called Balogun and his line was not going through and I later called one of our sisters who told me that he is not in town.
“I asked if he has been informed, she said the information is all over and he would have heard about it. She also told me that directives have been given to family members not to speak on the matter as we know that you pressmen will not leave us alone now,” he said.
Our correspondent reliably gathered that some people also sent text messages to the former President last night to seek his reaction to the shooting of his son, but he has not responded to any of the messages.