Residents of Alawa community in Shiroro local government area of Niger state, over the weekend, said the bodies of the six Nigerian military personnel killed by terrorists have been recovered from the forest after the battle with Boko Haram.
The state governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, expressed sadness over the incident with a promise that the soldiers would not die in vain.
The governor stated this Sunday in a sympathy message to the military over the killing of the six personnel.
He said, “I sincerely expressed my deepest sympathy with the security agencies who are daily making sacrifices to ensure the safety of citizens, with most of them paying the supreme price.
“I assure the Nigerian Army and every other conventional and non-conventional security agencies that our administration will not rest on its oars in providing all the needed support towards halting the nefarious activities of bandits.”
An eye witness who spoke on condition of anonymity said the soldiers include a Captain, one Major and four others, who were ambushed while on their way to respond to a distress call around Bassa and Alawa communities in Shiroro local government area of the state.
According to him, “They were said to have lost their way while countering the criminals in the forest before their corpses were later found on Saturday in the bush without their uniforms on them and with bullet shots on their heads.”
It was learnt that the military joint task force in Alawa and Erena along with some vigilante members in Shiroro had engaged the suspected criminals in a gun duel at Lolo in Alawa axis leading to casualties on both sides.
