A probe may have started into the circumstances surrounding the alleged killing of eight soldiers by terrorists in Suleja, a neighbouring town to Abuja, the seat of power.
In Birnin Gwari, reports say 11 others are feared dead following an attack on a military base in Birnin Gwari LGA of Kaduna state.
On Thursday night, according to Emergency Digest, an online publication affiliated with PRNigeria, bandits from Niger State bent on infiltrating Abuja to unleash havoc from the Suleja-Zuma Rock axis may have killed six soldiers and two officers in an ambush attack.
During the attack, which later snowballed into a full fledged confrontation, several of the bandits were reportedly neutralised by troops re-enforcement.
Some of the soldiers were reportedly injured during the encounter and were evacuated to military hospital in the Federal Capital Territory.
One of the wounded soldiers is said to be in critical condition.
It was gatheted that following the receipt of intelligence that a large number of persons suspected to be bandits were converging on the forest between Suleija and Zuma Rock, along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway, troops of 102 battalion, under the Guards Brigade, were deployed to the scene.
However, as the troops led by the two officers approached, the bandits opened fire from multiple angles of the forest resulting in a counter-offensive by the troops.
At the end of the encounter, the remains of the two officers and six soldiers were recovered.
Some soldiers, who could not stand the firepower of the bandits who were said to be heavily armed, were said to have escaped from the scene, while those who survived ran to the barracks and reported the ambush before a reinforcement was deployed.
The Comnanding Officer of the 102 Guards Battalion was said to have personally mobilized troops in five operational vehicles from the Zuma Army barracks for the counter-offensive.
The confrontation with the bandits, who were said to have numbered about 100, led to the elimination of many of the bandits while others escaped with bullet wounds.
In Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, the gunmen came in large numbers and were said to have invaded the base at Polwire village on Monday and engaged the troops in a fierce gun battle.
Military sources told TheCable that the bandits came on motorcycles and carrying heavy weapons including rocket-propelled grenade (RPG).
The fight was said to have lasted for about two hours before the soldiers were dislodged.
“We lost 11 men while 19 soldiers were wounded in action, after they overwhelmed the troops. They also burnt down three armoured personel carriers (APC) after they overwhelmed the troops,” one of the military sources said.
The gunmen were also said to have carted away with several weapons from the troops.
TheCable understands that the wounded soldiers were evacuated to Birnin Gwari General Hospital and 271 Nigerian Airforce Medical Center while those who were killed have been evacuated to the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital Kaduna (44 NARHK) in Kaduna.
Onyema Nwachukwu, army spokesperson, was not immediately available to comment on the attack.
In past recent months, there has been a series of attacks on Kaduna communities, including military bases.
In August 2021, gunmen attacked the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), killing two officers.
The attack on the military base comes days after gunmen attacked a train in Kaduna, which left several people dead and scores injured.
▪︎ Additional reports by The Cable and Emergency Digest
