Bandits Ambush Nigerian Troops, Cart-Away $73,481, Military Hardware, Others

In what is part of the banditry confronting the northern part of Nigeria where thousands of citizens have been killed, bandits have reportedly ambushed the Nigerian troops on a reinforcement mission to Benue State, North Central part of the country, to quell an uprising.

In a report from a newspaper, People’s Gazette, quoting a source from the Nigerian armed forces, the bandits cart away a whooping sum of N28 million ($73,481) cash.

Citing an internal army communication, the newspaper quoted a source as saying that soldiers dispatched from Katsina-Ala Local Government Area to deliver weapons to troops in Oju LGA (171km from Katsina-Ala) of Benue State were overrun by an armed militia said to be from the Konshisha district of the state, in an attack believed to have occurred on Tuesday.

Senior military officers said N28 million ($73,481) was also with the soldiers at the time of the ambush, all of which the attackers cornered and disappeared into the night on the fringes of the Benue River.

“Yes, the bandits stole weapons and also about N28 million from the soldiers,” the senior officer said.

“The entire situation has been under investigation since the headquarters heard about it.”

The official said no conspiracy was suspected on the part of the soldiers but said it was a “deeply disturbing” situation that soldiers could be easily waylaid by a ragtag group of bandits.

The source of the money and its purpose were however not immediately disclosed.

The logistics team, led by A.T. Adedayo, an army captain was reported missing, including a general-purpose machine gun and over 2,000 rounds of ammunition.

Sources said the ambush site was met deserted when a reinforcement deployed at Oju stormed the scene following an alert.

A joint operation by troops of 72 Special Forces Battalion and anti-banditry formation, Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), was planned to be conducted in the area to rescue the missing soldiers, a source said.