A General’s blood and nation’s burden
On Monday, November 17, 2025, ISWAP released a shocking video and photograph of Gen Musa Uba, commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade, Damboa, Borno State, in captivity. Seated on the ground, surrounded by armed terrorists, they executed him point-blank, framing the killing as retribution for military incursions into their “territory.” The tragedy began on […]
On Monday, November 17, 2025, ISWAP released a shocking video and photograph of Gen Musa Uba, commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade, Damboa, Borno State, in captivity. Seated on the ground, surrounded by armed terrorists, they executed him point-blank, framing the killing as retribution for military incursions into their “territory.”
The tragedy began on Friday, November 14, 2025, along the Burum-Kubua axis of Damboa Local Government Area when the joint convoy of Nigerian Army troops and Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) were en route Biu to Damboa after a routine mission. They were ambushed in a coordinated, massive attack, catching the convoy in a “kill zone.” Two soldiers and two CJTF members were killed immediately, with several others wounded.
Gen Uba evaded immediate capture by slipping deeper into the forest on foot and reportedly communicated via satellite phone or WhatsApp with Theatre Command of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) with confirmation that he was alive, shared his GPS coordinates and assured them that he was “heading back to base.”
Rescue ground reinforcements and air assets were immediately dispatched to extract him. The initial assessment was optimistic. Unfortunately, while attempting to link up with rescuers, Uba was captured by ISWAP fighters sometime between late November 15 and early November 16.
Thus, his execution broke the hearts of many, sending shockwaves across the country as it seemed it was done to humiliate the Nigerian military and assault the country’s sovereignty. The picture of a serving Brigadier-General in captivity sitting helplessly at the mercy of terrorists simplifies how vulnerable Nigerians have become. It was a subtle message that non-state actors control swathes of forests, highways and communities, and they can kill and abduct at will. This alarming and unprecedented act of killing Uba removed any sugar coating that even a symbol of state and military prowess can fall, executed by combatant enemies of the country.
Uba was the highest-ranking Nigerian officer captured by any terrorist group and publicly executed. Others had paid the supreme sacrifice earlier. They include Lt Col Ememike S. Okorie, Commanding Officer of 93rd Infantry Battalion, who was abducted and presumed dead after an ambush by terrorists in Taraba State in May 2022; Col Abu Ali (killed on November 4, 2016, in an ambush in Malam Fatori in Borno State); Dahiru Chiroma Bako of 25 Task Force Brigade (died at a military hospital in Maiduguri following injury sustained in an ambush on September 21, 2020 in the Sabon Gari-Wajiroko axis in Damboa); and Brigadier-General Dzarma Zirkusu (28 Task Force Brigade Commander in Chibok), who was killed in an ambush in November 2021 at Askira Uba. Major Luka Barde, Lance Corporal Simon Solomon, Pte. Chagumeji Victor, and Pte. Danyaro Umar died in the ambush.
Daily Trust joins well-meaning Nigerians in mourning Gen Uba. Our condolences go to his family, associates, friends and the Armed Forces of Nigeria. A significant loss to the country, he was an acclaimed gentleman, a professional military officer in all ramifications.
A veteran of tough battles against insurgents, Uba joined the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in 1996, where he studied Political Science and was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in 2001. Over his career, he served in various capacities, including as part of a Nigerian contingent with the United Nations and as a staff officer at the NDA. He was a former commander of 177 Guards Battalion, Keffi, Nasarawa State.
But we are worried that the capture and viral point-blank execution of such high-ranking, battle-tested and battle-hardened officer did not spark a national emergency. There were no joint or singular public hearings by Defence and Army Committees of National Assembly. Silence ruled. Save for occasional mention, it is still tucked into the daily affairs of state. The country has operated as if it is a normal death. We hope both leaders and the led have not normalised bloodletting and violence. But no, evil should never be normalised.
Uba was a true Nigerian hero who sacrificed his life to keep Nigeria safe, which is why Daily Trust demands urgent action and a clear message from the military to the terrorists and other non-state actors that they cannot continue to pose as existential threat to the country and the future of our children.
Therefore, we urge both ground and aerial forces to respond with rage and unforgiving onslaught that should shake the entirety of the terror networks. This is the time for the military to go after anyone who feeds, protects or funds terrorism or banditry. Towards this, there must be nationwide operations to hunt down all perpetrators of insecurity and their networks as their names, faces, camps, routes, financiers must be publicly and transparently unveiled. Anything less is a slap on the wrist. This is the time to avenge for all the heroes who have paid the supreme sacrifice in the cause of peace and security.
We also urge the military to quickly recover from this blow and project their weight of grief and anger towards defeating the enemy. Daily Trust also believes that it is imperative for the military to thoroughly investigate the whole ambush and killing of Uba. With this, they would look inwards and ensure there is no leakage or sabotage from within. It should find out how his WhatsApp chats leaked to the public. They should not treat this death as yet another in the series of statistics. They owe the country the responsibility to unearth all issues and learn all lessons. This should lead to permanently stopping all non-state actors from acting as if they had nothing to fear.
We also believe that the military should take another look at its communication networks. It was reported that Gen Uba used his WhatsApp to contact the theatre commander and the air force rescue team. This is worrisome as any personal device can easily be intercepted or decoded. Again, the capture of any personal device by the enemy downloads loads of valuable intelligence and information. And with General Musa’s phone in the hand of the terrorists, they may have gained easy access to his phone contacts and other strategic and tactical information that may put the lives of personnel in the Joint Operational Area (JOA) at risk.
We also add that while conventional military tactics, especially ground operations, remain vital, Nigeria must embrace technology, leveraging advancements in surveillance, cybersecurity, and Electronic Warfare (EW) to benefit from real-time monitoring of vast, hard-to-reach terrains like the Sambisa Forest or Lake Chad Basin. Investment in counter-drone technologies/jamming systems, ground-based sensor networks, IoT devices with motion detectors and cameras as part of signal intelligence (SIGINT), and network forensics will disrupt enemy drone signals and form a “smart fence” along vulnerable routes, alerting forces in real time. No more should troops go on a blind route. The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is already deploying drones for reconnaissance and targeted strikes, but the tempo must be increased.
Generally, the message must be clearly demonstrated that you don’t kill a soldier, not to talk of a General, and rest easy. President Tinubu must lead the military to reaffirm that Nigeria is worth dying for. The military must break the spines of terrorism. No military personnel should again face such ambush, capture, death or humiliation as Uba. Nigerians are waiting for a decisive action that sends a resounding message to friends and foe that you can’t touch our soldier without paying a heavy price for it.
May the soul of Gen Uba rest in peace. May God give his family the fortitude to bear the loss. And may the military bring him justice.