The Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, is en route to the Wushishi Local Government Area of Niger State, following an ambush by bandits that claimed the lives of several troops on Monday.
Also, there were unconfirmed reports that the crashed Nigerian Air Force aircraft was the handiwork of the bandits. The Air Force has yet to debunk or confirm the reports.
Although the exact toll remains undisclosed, the Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, confirmed the loss of lives among the troops but refrained from providing specific figures.
Brig. Gen. Nwachukwu emphasized the need to focus on supporting the families of the fallen soldiers rather than dwelling on the casualty count.
In an interview, Brig. Gen. Nwachukwu remarked, “I can confirm that there was an incident in Wushishi LG of Niger State. Our gallant patriots paid the supreme price when they ran into an ambush staged by insurgents.
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“They were courageous till the end. They stood their ground and defended our great country with their lives.”
Onyema added that the Army Chief was on his way to the scene to motivate the troops.
He said, “I can confirm that there was an incident in Wushishi LG of Niger State. Our gallant patriots paid the supreme price when they ran into an ambush staged by insurgents. They were courageous till the end. They stood their ground and defended our great country with their lives.
“The focus now is how to console and bring respite to those they left behind. Sadly, the incident occured while the Chief of Army Staff is on an operational tour of the North-West Operations theatre for an on-the-spot assessment and reinvigoration of ongoing operations. He is currently headed to the affected formation to encourage the troops.”