About 11 soldiers are feared killed after suspected bandits invaded a military base in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The bandits came in large numbers of motorcycles and carrying heavy weapons including Rocket Propelled Grenade Bombs and engaged the troops in a fierce battle that lasted for two hours Monday evening and dislodged them, according to military sources.
“We lost 11 men while 19 soldiers were wounded in action, after they overwhelmed the troops. They also burnt down 3 Armoured Personnel Carriers(APC’s) after they overwhelmed the troops and carted away with several weapons,” an intelligence officer who chose to be anonymous said.
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This attack comes after bandits bombed the Abuja-Kaduna train killing at least eight persons, while more than 100 person are still missing. Since after the train attack, there have been a series of attacks and abductions along the Abuja-Kaduna highway perpetrated by bandits, despite Kaduna state being home to Nigeria’s Defence Academy and other security armoury.
The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has however vowed to hire foreign machineries to fight terrorism if the federal government fails to do its job.
The Army spokesperson, Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu did not respond to calls put to him.
