Bandits kill 6 soldiers, abduct captain in Niger

Military silent All hands on deck to arrest perpetrators – State govt

Bandits reportedly ambushed and gunned down six soldiers at Roro, Karaga and Rumace communities, Bassa Ward, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State on Friday night.

A captain was also said to have been abducted during the incident.

It was gathered that the soldiers had left their camps at Allawa and Erena to respond to a distress call when the armed bandits ambushed them at Roro village.

The bandits were also said to have killed a hunter and two farmers as well as burnt houses, food banks and motorcycles.

On March 14, at least 17 senior military officers, including 13 soldiers, two majors and one captain, from the 181 Amphibious Battalion, who were deployed on a peace-keeping mission to quell community clashes, were killed by suspected residents of Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.

In the same vein, the military had, last year said that no fewer than three of its officers and 22 soldiers were killed during the August 13 bandits’ ambush on troops in Niger State.

Residents, who spoke to our correspondent yesterday about the latest killing of soldiers, said that the incident happened around 9pm on Friday and lasted for hours.

"Six soldiers lost their lives and one volunteer hunter," one of the residents said.

Another source, Mustapha Bassa, said the bandits, who rode on motorcycles, were shooting sporadically as they moved to the communities.

The Military High Command was silent on the incident when contacted by one of our correspondents last night.

The Director of the Defence Media Operations, Major-General Edward Buba, neither answered several calls to his mobile telephone line nor replied to a WhatsApp message sent to him.

But Niger State’s Commissioner for Homeland Security, BrigadierGeneral Bello Abdullahi Mohammed, in a reply to a text message by our correspondent yesterday, confirmed the incident.

He said “all hands were on deck” to bring the perpetrators to book.

“All hands are on deck to bring the perpetrators to face the law. Government, on her own, is doing everything possible to end the insecurity issues.

“Additionally, the government will stand by the bereaved and share their grief as well as support them, now and in the long term,” the commissioner said.

The Public Relations Officer of the state police command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, could not be reached for comment as of the time of filing this report.