Pandemonium ensued on Thursday when one Nigerian Army officer and two soldiers were killed by bandits in Unguwar Doka village of Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

It was gathered that the soldiers, who were on routine patrol, ran into an ambush by the marauding bandits, which led to their death.

It was also gathered that the bandits invaded the villages Thursday night and started shooting indiscriminately. In the process, the soldiers and some civilians were killed.

An eyewitness, who craved anonymity, told THISDAY in a telephone interview on Friday that the bandits, armed with AK-47 rifles invaded the village on motorcycles where they launched the deadly attack.

The acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-General Benard Onyeuko, confirmed the incident in a statement issued to journalists at the Special Army Super Camp IV Faskari, Katsina.

Onyeuko, in the statement, said troops of Operation SAHEL SANITY responded to a distress call on September 24, 2020 that bandits attacked Unguwar Doka village and swiftly mobilised to the area where they cleared the bandits.

He explained that during the encounter, troops neutralised 21 bandits, while others escaped with gunshot wounds into the forest “as evident by the trails of blood along the criminals’ escape route”.

He reiterated that the soldiers rescued three kidnapped victims, including an eight-month-old baby who had been in captivity for more than 23 days and recovered one AK-47 and three motorcycles from the fleeing hoodlums.

Onyeuko said: “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.

“The fearless troops have continued to pursue the bandits into the forest and dominating the general areas with aggressive fighting patrols to deny them any respite.” (THISDAY)

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