Army chief visits Niger after bandits shot down helicopter, killed 18 soldiers

Following the tragedy that struck the military authorities yesterday, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, is currently on his way to the Wushishi local government area of Niger State where bandits reportedly ambushed and killed soldiers after shooting down a military helicopter enrout to Kaduna State.

Over 18 soldiers News Band gathered, fell to the bullets of the terrorists during the unfortunate attack which occured on Monday.

Meanwhile, speaking on Tuesday over the incident, the spokesman of the Nigerian army, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, confirmed there were casualties on the troops side but refused to give full details of the incident.

He argued that attention should be on the families the troops left behind and not the number of soldiers killed in the attack.

Onyema further added that the Army Chief was on his way to Niger to encourage the soldiers.

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.”