Final Salute: Nigeria Buries General Braimah, Six Others Killed in Borno Ambush

​MAIDUGURI — It was a morning of muffled sobs and rhythmic gunfire yesterday as the Nigerian Army bid a final, somber farewell to Brigadier General Oseni Braimah, Captain Ismail, and five other gallant soldiers. The fallen heroes, who were killed during a coordinated insurgent ambush on April 9, were interred with full military honors at the Maimalari Cantonment Cemetery in Maiduguri.

​The air in the Borno State capital was thick with grief as the funeral procession moved with military precision. The ceremony served as a stark reminder of the volatile frontline in the North-East, where these men—led by the late Brigade Commander of the 29 Task Force Brigade—lost their lives while defending military positions in Benisheikh, Kaga Local Government Area.

​Tributes to the Fallen

​The funeral drew the nation’s top security hierarchy and state leadership. Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, visibly moved, joined the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (Rtd), the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, in paying their last respects.

​”These were true patriots who stood firm in the face of danger,” the Minister of Defence remarked during his tribute. “They made the ultimate sacrifice so that others might live in safety. Their bravery is now etched forever in the history of our nation.”

​Governor Zulum echoed these sentiments, noting that the courage displayed by General Braimah and his men remains a source of pride for Borno State and the country at large, even as the human cost of the insurgency continues to weigh heavily on Nigerian families.

ADVERTISEMENT

​The Final Rites

​The ceremony featured the traditional presentation of the national colors to the next of kin, a 21-gun salute that echoed across the cantonment, and the playing of the “Last Post.” Military citations were read, detailing the distinguished careers of the fallen officers, whose lives were cut short in the ongoing battle against Boko Haram and ISWAP extremists.

​As the remains were lowered into the earth, the silent tears of widows and children underscored the profound price of national security. For the Nigerian military, the loss of a one-star general and his team represents a significant blow, yet the leadership vowed that their deaths would only serve to strengthen the resolve of the Armed Forces to restore peace to the region.