MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Boko Haram extremists ambushed an oil exploration convoy in northern Nigeria, killing about 10 soldiers and abducting 10 geological surveyors, officials said Wednesday.
One official said at least seven people were rescued and many attackers were killed in a shootout that followed.
The ambush occurred several weeks after the Nigeria National Petroleum Corp.’s management announced it was resuming oil exploration around Lake Chad after assurances by Nigeria’s military that security had improved in the area once under Boko Haram’s control.
The secretary of the Hunters Association in Borno State, Bunu Bukar, said members of the self-defense group saw the bodies of military personnel after the ambush Tuesday.
“What I can confidently confirm to you is that the insurgents came in new vehicles and fully dressed in military uniforms,” Bukar said.
The military and self-defense group were providing security for the oil exploration workers. Nigeria’s military did not immediately comment.