“Calm Under Fire: WhatsApp Chats Expose General Uba’s Final Stand Before ISWAP Killers Struck”
By Passman Akpos
Newly uncovered WhatsApp exchanges have shed heartbreaking light on the final moments of Brigadier-General M. Uba, the top Nigerian Army commander who was abducted and later killed by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters along the Damboa–Biu axis of Borno State.
The messages, seen by SaharaReporters, show a commander displaying striking composure, clarity and courage even as terrorists closed in on his position and troops from Operation Hadin Kai raced desperately to reach him.
Shortly after a brief video call confirming he was alive, Brig.-Gen. Uba sent a message to his coordinating team:“Are they going to pick me or direct me on where to go?”
A response quickly came:“Sir, they will remain overhead and coordinate with the troops moving towards you, Sir.”
As minutes turned into a life-or-death countdown, the General updated his colleagues again:“My battery is 31% now.”
His final message was a mix of hope, professionalism and an attempt to help rescuers locate him:“Sir, I am on foot, but once I see the aircraft, I can raise my peak cap.”
Those were the last words anyone would receive from him. Shortly afterward, all communication went dark.
HOW THE AMBUSH UNFOLDED
Security sources confirmed that ISWAP terrorists intercepted the General’s location shortly after he took part in a successful joint air–ground operation against insurgents in the area.Unknown to him, earlier communications may have inadvertently exposed his coordinates.
As the Brigade Commander began regrouping with his team, ISWAP fighters launched a coordinated ambush, overwhelming the route with booby traps and heavy gunfire.
Ground troops fighting alongside him issued a distress call that prompted a swift diversion of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft. The close air support helped disperse insurgents and extract several soldiers and CJTF operatives—many of them injured.
But somehow, in the chaos, Brig.-Gen. Uba and a small group became separated from the main force.
‘THEY INTERROGATED HIM BRIEFLY, THEN EXECUTED HIM’
Multiple military sources told SaharaReporters that the General was captured alive.Terrorists reportedly interrogated him for a short period before summarily executing him.
His phone, still intermittently accessible to him under duress, allowed him to send a live location that triggered a massive search-and-rescue effort. But by the time troops stormed the coordinates, it was already too late.
One soldier abducted with him—shot during the ambush—was abandoned in the bush and later rescued. Two Majors who escaped the crossfire managed to trek back to base.
TOUGH QUESTIONS AND URGENT DEPLOYMENTS
Following the attack, senior commanders—including Theatre Commander Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar—stormed the Damboa base to coordinate rescue operations and steady troop morale.
Confusion initially trailed the incident, with the Nigerian Army publicly denying that Brig.-Gen. Uba had been abducted. However, troops in the field quickly countered the claim, confirming that the commander had not returned to base.
In response, Brigadier General Mustapha has now been appointed to lead the 26 Task Force Brigade pending further directives.
A NATION MOURNS A FALLEN COMMANDER
Brigadier-General Uba’s death marks one of the most devastating losses suffered by the Nigerian military in recent years. His final messages—calm, disciplined, and hopeful even in the face of capture—have now become a haunting reminder of the daily dangers frontline commanders confront in Nigeria’s 15-year battle against insurgency.
His last promise—to raise his peak cap to identify himself to rescuers—now stands as a symbol of unwavering duty in the face of overwhelming odds.
