The military has been battling the insurgents for about five years
The
son of Nigeria's former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been shot and
wounded in a battle with militant Islamists, the ex-leader's aide says.
Lt Col Adeboye Obasanjo was injured as the army fought to
recapture towns in north-eastern Adamawa state from Boko Haram, Muhammad
Keffi told the BBC. "Scores of insurgents" were also killed in the battle, the military said.
Last month, Boko Haram declared an Islamic state in areas it controls in north-eastern Nigeria.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo fought in Nigeria's 1967-1970 civil war
Tens of thousand of people have abandoned their homes because of fighting in the north
Boko Haram insurgents have over-run Michika and Bazza, two towns close to the commercial hub of Mubi, in recent days.
Thousands of people are fleeing northern parts of Adamawa state where Boko Haram insurgents maintain a firm control of four towns - Madagali, Gulak, Michika and Bazza - and many surrounding villages.
Mubi, which is the largest commercial centre in the state, has been deserted. Many, fearing it will be the next target, have arrived in the state capital, Yola, taking refuge in the houses of relatives and at camps set up on the outskirts at Doubeli and Girei. One owner of a large five-bedroom house said about 200 people are now sleeping in it.
After Monday's offensive failed, the military appears to be intensifying air attacks. Many jets flew from Yola airbase to Boko Haram-occupied areas on Tuesday. Residents of Michika said fighter jets dropped bombs in two places in the town on Monday.
Most civilians had fled, along with some soldiers, he said.
"Any minute from now I'm going to leave. I'm afraid to die," the man said.
The attack on a platoon headed by Col Obasanjo coincided with a ferocious air assault on the militants, Nigeria's privately owned This Day newspaper reports.
His front-line role showed the family's commitment to "one Nigeria", Mr Keffi said.
A total of two officers and three soldiers were wounded in the battle, the military said.
'Cross-border raid' Olusegun Obasanjo fought in Nigeria's 1967-1970 civil war, when the military put down a rebellion to create the breakaway state of Biafra in the south-east.
A former military ruler in the late 1970s, he won two elections when Nigeria returned to multi-party democracy in 1999.
In May, he said President Goodluck Jonathan was "overwhelmed" by the security situation in the north-east and he should not run for another term in elections due next year.
Boko Haram's five-year insurgency is seen as the biggest threat to Nigeria's territorial integrity since the 1967-70 conflict, analysts say.
The group has changed tactics in recent months, holding on to towns in the north-east, where most people are Muslims, rather than carrying out hit-and-run attacks.
Leader Abubakar Shekau has announced a caliphate in areas Boko Haram controls
- Founded in 2002
- Initially focused on opposing Western education - Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language
- Launched military operations in 2009 to create an Islamic state
- Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria - but also attacks on police and UN headquarters in capital, Abuja
- Some three million people affected
- Declared terrorist group by US in 2013
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