The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has cast doubt on the presumed death of Brigadier General Musa Uba, who was abducted by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
General Uba is currently officially listed as โmissing in action.โ
The clarification came during an interview with Channels Television, where the Defence Minister explained that without the recovery of a body, the military cannot confirm the officerโs death.
โWe are not sure that he is dead, because we have not seen any corpse yet,โ General Musa stated.
He pointed to the typical behavior of the terrorist group, noting, โNormally what they do when they shoot is they leave the body for you to recover. So he is classified as missing in action, not killed in action yet.โ
The minister revealed that there are ongoing unverified reports suggesting General Uba might still be alive. โWe heard rumors that he is still alive, we are hopeful that he is still alive,โ he said, emphasising that the Armed Forces are continuing efforts to locate and safely recover the officer.
General Uba was captured in November after an ambush on his convoy along the Damboa-Biu axis following a succesful military operation.
While ISWAP factions reportedly claimed his execution, the Defence Minister revealed that unverified intelligence suggests he may still be alive, prompting ongoing rescue efforts.
The announcement leaves the status of the senior officer unresolved.
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