Army on parade | File Image
By Mohammed Usman
Suspected Boko Haram militants at the weekended raided communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, killing no fewer than six senior Army officers and many civilians.
The militants had earlier, at Lolo in Alawa and Erena, confronted the state Military Joint Task Force and some local vigilantes in a fierce battle, which claimed many casualties from both sides.
The senior Army offlcers, who were killed in Alawa village imclude one Major and four others whose ranks could not be ascertained as at the time of this report.
A source from the area told our correspondent on the condition of anonymity that the soldiers who were said to have lost their way and fell into the enemy zone were killed by the suspected Boko Haram and not armed bandits who were said to be well established in eight local government areas of the state.
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While the Army official reaction is being waited, it was gathered that the soldiers lost there way during counter attacks in the forest and their corpses later found on Saturday in the bush with bullet wounds on their heads, but without their uniforms.
The source who attributed the killing of the soldiers on less sophisticated weapons compared to that of the Boko Haram, advised the government to provide security agencies with modern fighting equipment needed to defeat armed bandits and Boko Haram militants across the country.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Homeland Security, Gen. Garba Abdullahi Mohammed (rtd), confirmed the attacks but did not give details of the casualties.
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