Bandits killed a Major of the Nigerian Army and seven other security operatives on Wednesday night in Munya Local Government Area of Niger State. The attackers ambushed the security forces in Igu village.
Inuwa Danladi, a resident of Igu, told our correspondent that four military personnel, including the army major, and four vigilante members were killed during the assault. “The bandits ambushed the joint task force as they were heading to Sarkin Pawa and opened fire on them,” he said.
According to Danladi, the bandits and security personnel had already engaged in a gun battle earlier in the day. After that encounter, the bandits returned to attack the forces again. “They ran into the ambush by the gunmen at Igu village, which is 10 kilometres from Sarkin Pawa, on their way back to the scene where they had earlier engaged the terrorists in a gun battle to recover the bodies of some local vigilantes who were missing,” he added.
Danladi explained that the bandits, who were in the bush burying casualties from the earlier clash, noticed the security personnel were moving to retrieve the vigilantes’ bodies and then launched the ambush. “The bandits were in the bush trying to bury their dead and they ambushed and overpowered the soldiers who were going to recover the bodies of the vigilantes; only one soldier escaped,” he said.
During the attack, two patrol vehicles belonging to the Joint Security Taskforce were vandalized; their windscreens and tires were riddled with bullets. When contacted, Commissioner for Internal Security and Humanitarian Affairs Emmanuel Umar acknowledged a series of attacks in the state and said he would gather details and issue a statement later.
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