A senior army officer and two soldiers have been killed by bandits in Unguwar Doka Village under Faskari Local Government Area of Kastina State.
According to reports from the area, the soldiers, who were on routine patrol, ran into an ambush by the bandits, which led to their death.
Brigadier General Benard Onyeuko, Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday.
Onyeuko said, “They successfully cleared the village of the marauders to the admiration of the locals. During the encounter, troops successfully neutralized 21 bandits while others escaped with gunshot wounds into the forest as evident by the trails of blood along the criminals’ escape route.
“The gallant troops successfully rescued three kidnapped victims including an eight months old baby who have been in the custody of the criminals for more than 23 days. During the exploitation phase of the operation, the gallant troops recovered one AK 47 rifle, one AK 47 magazine and three motorcycles from the fleeing bandits.
“Regrettably, resulting from the encounter with the bandits, one gallant officer and two soldiers paid the supreme sacrifice while two other soldiers were wounded in action and are currently receiving medical treatment in a military medical facility and responding positively.”