At Kundu via Zungeru in the Wushishi Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State, 30 bandits suffered defeat in a gunfight with Nigerian Army troops and vigilantes; however, some military personnel, including senior commanders, paid the ultimate price.
According to reports, eight of them were gunned down on Monday in an ambush in which a two-star Captain and a Major allegedly took part. It was stated that 13 of them were slain in an encounter on Sunday.
Speaking to journalists on the incident, the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, said, “I can confirm that there was an incident in Wushishi LG of Niger State.” Our gallant patriots paid the supreme price when they ran into an ambush staged by insurgents. They were courageous until the end.
“They stood their ground and defended our great country with their lives. The focus now is on how to console and bring respite to those they left behind. Sadly, the incident occurred while the Chief of Army Staff was on an operational tour of the North West Operations theatre for on-the-spot assessment and reinvigoration of ongoing operations. He is currently headed to the affected formation to encourage the troops,”, he said.
It was gathered that eight other soldiers reportedly sustained severe injuries in the bitter skirmish, in which they fought the bandits to a standstill and killed well over 30 of them.
Also, reports say the bodies of 30 bandits killed during the operation were abandoned in the forest, while those injured were taken away.
According to reports, the security operatives were trying to block the Kundu route of the criminals who were about to cross with some rustled cattle when they were ambushed, leading to casualties including five vigilantes who were injured with bullets.
It was reliably gathered that the bandits had rustled several animals from several communities and tried to cross from Akere to the northern parts of the country.
The remains of the 21 military personnel were deposited at the same Zungeru hospital where the injured vigilante group was receiving medical treatment.
An injured vigilante, Sani Adamu, said in a phone interview that they had a gun battle within a range of fewer than 100 meters, but they were challenged because the criminals’ weapons were more sophisticated than theirs, leading to casualties.
