By Emmanuel Nduka
Pressure continued to mount on the Nigerian Government, as well as its Armed Forces on Monday, after armed bandits numbering hundreds attacked a military base in an ambush at Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, killing 11 soldiers after a fierce gun battle.
Sources said the bandits who came on motorcycles carrying heavy weapons including rocket-propelled grenade (RPGs), burnt two armoured vehicles belonging to the military.
The fight was said to have lasted for about two hours before the soldiers were dislodged.
“We lost 11 men, while 19 soldiers were wounded in action, after they overwhelmed the troops. They also burnt down three armoured personel carriers (APC),” one of the military sources said.
The bandits were also said to have carted away several weapons from the troops.
Kaduna which houses majority of the country’s military formation headquarters including the Nigerian Defence Academy, is surprisingly being targeted by successfully by the daring bandits.
The state Governor, Naisr el-Rufai sounding frustrated and helpless recently, said he and some of his counterparts may be forced to import “mercenaries” to fight the armed militias in the wake of the Federal Government’s inability to curtail the killings.
