Bandits kill 6 soldiers, 2 officers in Zuma/Niger ambush

Bandits on Thursday night have been reported to have killed eight soldiers comprising of two officers and six soldiers in Niger State bordering the Federal Capital Territory.

The attack, happened between Zuma and Suleja axis. The attack snowballed into a full fledged confrontation, several of the bandits were reportedly neutralised by troops re-enforcement, reports vanguard.

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 soldier is said to be in critical condition.

It was gathered that following the receipt of intelligence that a large number of persons suspected to be bandits were converging in the forest between Suleija and Zuma, 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.

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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 mibilized 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 bulket wounds.