Boko Haram: UNIMAID lecturers asking for help, new video shows

A new video released by the Boko Haram have shown three of the abductees of the recent ambush of lecturers of the University of Maiduguri UNIMAID alive with Dr Solomon Yusuf calling on the media to help in the campaign to free them from the hands of their captors.

Dr Yusuf a lecturer in the department of Geology who concluded his PhD about four months ago, spoke on behalf of the other two saying that they had gone on their exploration drive in conjunction the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) partners and were abducted in the process by the insurgent boko haram.

Read also: Boko Haram: We will never forsake families of those killed ―Shettima

The Don who sat on a mat with the others while being filmed also called on his Vice Chancellor Professor Ibrahim Njodi, the ASUU chair Dr Dani Mamman and his supervisors in the prospecting for oil Professors Saidu Baba and Adamu Bama, to please do all they can to rescue him from the grip of boko haram who have held them against their will.

They also wanted Governor Kashim Shettima to support their desperate campaign to be rescued alive from the forest where they were tucked in by the elements of the boko haram.

Tribune Online recalls that five members of staff of UNIMAID were missing after the ambush of Tuesday 25th of July while they were on an exploration spree for crude oil around the Chad basin area of Borno state.

Already Idris Njodi, one of the drivers in the exploratory convoy and a relation of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim Njodi, who was among those killed during the cross fire between the Boko Haram insurgent on the Tuesday attack and has since been buried.

Manaja another staff has also been buried but his body was found in the scene hours after the first set of over thirty bodies, were discovered and conveyed to Maiduguri in two army ambulances and four pick-up vans for deposit at the morgue of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital UMTH.

It took almost a day before residents were aware of the sad incident which filtered into the city in trickles after a long spell of denial by the military spokesman Brigadier General Sani Usman who kept on insisting that everyone was rescued from the abduction.

Chairman Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNIMAID chapter Dr. Dani Mamman, who acknowledged the new video told newsmen, that one other staff involved in the attack Alhaji kolo was still missing adding that they are still praying that the fellow would soon be seen dead or alive.

According to Dr Mamman, two of the slain persons were academic staff in the department of geology, two were technicians, while the other was a driver.

He regretted that the military had misled everybody including the media while abducted alongside other staff of the University, were Dr. Militus Joseph already buried, Dr. Solomon Yusuf, Mr. Yusuf Ibrahim, Alhaji Kolo, Mr. Daniel Birma and Mr. Manaja Uba who has also been buried.

Unconfirmed sources said that eight soldiers including a second lieutenant who was supposed to have been decorated that day as captain perished in the ill-fated attack in spite of about four trucks of vigilante and civilian JTF that escorted them.

Also fifteen members of the Civilian JTF, four NNPC drivers as well as six others believed to be vigilantes who were wounded were found after they died while escaping from the attack scene into the Sambisa.

The entire academic, non-academic and NNPC team were said to have travelled in eight Hilux vehicles when they were attacked on the last day of the two weeks exploration by the Boko Haram insurgents.