Soldiers, 10 Policemen, Others Killed In Gunmen Attacks

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Letters/Rejoinders, News Across Nigeria Friday, July 1st, 2022

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Gunmen went on a killing spree in different parts of the country yesterday, leaving many deaths in their trail.

The bodies of 30 soldiers were allegedly evacuated following a terrorist attack on Ajata-Aboki Mining Site in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

The military confirmed the killing of a number of its personnel, but did not give the figure.

In a statement last night, the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said the troops were ambushed by the terrorists, while responding to a distress call from a village that was under attack.

Seven riot policemen and two civilians were confirmed killed in the attack.
Four Chinese workers were abducted, but the number of abducted workers remained unknown.

In Enugu State, two policemen were feared killed by gunmen who attacked a checkpoint in the Garki area of the state capital.

Also yesterday, the police in Rivers State confirmed that an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Chris Josiah, was killed by five gunmen in Oyigbo Local Government Area.

Bandits continued to hold sway in Kaduna State.

A community leader in Birnin-Gwari, Alhaji Zubairu Idris Abdulra’uf, lamented that farming communities in the council paid over N300 million as taxes to terrorists in two years.

The Niger killings occurred at the mining site in Ajata-Aboki in Gurmana Ward of Shiroro Local Government.

Spokesperson of the Coalition of Shiroro Associations, Salis Sabo, said the bodies of 30 soldiers were recovered.

The Nigerian Army said that “a number of personnel paid the supreme price when troops ran into an ambush in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State”.

The riot policemen were attached to the site to provide security for the expatriate workers.

Many sustained gunshot injuries during the attack in which four Chinese nationals were abducted.

The terrorists, armed with sophisticated weapons, were said to have invaded the mining site, shooting at everyone in sight.

The Niger State Commissioner for Internal Security and Humanitarian Affairs, Emmanuel Umar, confirmed the abduction of four Chinese nationals.

He said a joint security team was mobilised to the scene in response to a distress call.

“The joint security team engaged the terrorists and they were yet to determine the number of casualties from both sides.

“However, a yet to be ascertained number of workers in the mining site, including four Chinese nationals were reported to have been abducted.

“Security forces were reinforced for the manhunt of the remaining terrorists as some of them were neutralised and rescue of the injured victims, including security personnel,” he said.

The commissioner said those injured had been evacuated to government hospitals.

Governor Abubakar Sani Bello ordered a manhunt for the terrorists.

The Nation