Mr Buratai gave the account of his first ambush as army chief on Monday during the commissioning of a bridge constructed at Kuta in Osun State by the Nigeria Army Engineering Construct Regiment, Ede.

Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has narrated how he was ambushed in the north-east of the country by terrorists in 2015.

The project, like many others, is named after Mr Buratai.

Speaking about his love for Osun State, he said his deputy, Lamidi Adeosun, who is the current Chief of Training and Operations, saved his life in 2015.

Mr Adeosun is an indigene of Asamu in Osun State.

According to Punch Newspaper, Mr Buratai said it was his deputy that mobilised troops to counter the terrorists who attacked him in September 2015.

“When I had the first ambush, he was with me in the vehicle, by my side and I could see the courage he exhibited. He was able to mobilise the troops to counter the bandits, the criminals, the terrorists out of the way.

“When I was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff, I met Lamidi Adeosun at the North-East, I met Adeosun as the commander of operations there and he started the rejigging processes of the Nigerian Army and we commenced our upward and progressive movement towards the technical defeat of Boko Haram,” he was quoted as saying.

The army chief hailed the Army Engineering Corps for constructing the bridge and also thanked the Olowu of Kuta, Adekunle Oyelude, for his support for the army amidst wide criticism from the general public.

The governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, said the bridge construction would strengthen the relationship between military and civilians in the state.

In 2015, PREMIUM TIMES reported that a soldier was killed in an ambush during a visit by Mr Buratai to troops fighting Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State.

While the army continues to claim that it has defeated the terrorists, the northeast remains unsafe for many Nigerians.