By Passman Akpos
A fresh wave of anger and concern has swept through Nigeria’s security community following revelations that the battlefield location of the late Brigadier General M. Uba—who was killed by ISWAP terrorists—was leaked from within the military before reaching the media.
According to commentary by Sunday Wale Adeniran, the senior officer had sent his coordinates to a military command via WhatsApp during operations at the war front. The information, meant strictly for internal command communication, somehow ended up in the hands of the press and subsequently the public—ultimately enabling terrorists to trace and kill him.
Adeniran condemned the act as both tragic and deeply suspicious, insisting that although Sahara Reporters should not have published the sensitive content, the media outlet did not receive it from the deceased commander.
“He sent his location to the Army. So where did the media get it from?” Adeniran asked pointedly. “Sahara Reporters should not have released it to the public, but they are not as guilty as the one(s) who leaked it to them.”
He lamented what he described as an internal compromise within the military, stressing that the presence of saboteurs among security personnel poses the gravest danger to troops risking their lives on the front lines.
“In the military, there are those who are not with us as law-abiding citizens,” he said. “Nothing is more dangerous than that.”
Brigadier General M. Uba, the Commander of the Nigerian Army’s 25 Task Force Brigade in Damboa, Borno State, was widely regarded as a brave and dedicated officer. His death has renewed calls for tighter operational security, stricter information handling protocols, and a thorough investigation into the leak that may have cost him his life.
“Adieu, Brigadier General M. Uba,” Adeniran wrote in his tribute. “A gallant commander who should never have been betrayed.”
