Suspected terrorists on Wednesday morning attacked an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) of the Nigerian Army, killed two soldiers and injured four others in Shimfida community of Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State.

The military personnel, who were ambushed by the terrorists along Shimfida-Gurbi road at about 10am, were escorting residents of the community to Jibia town to buy some food items when the incident occurred.

A credible security source, who confirmed the development in a telephone interview, said the slain soldiers were among the troops of 32 Battalion of the Nigeria Army in the state deployed in Shimfida to restore peace in the hitherto terrorists ravaged community.

The source explained that the military armoured personnel carrier escorting the residents was hit by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted on the road by the marauding terrorists along the Shimfida-Gurbi unmotorable road.

He added that the two soldiers died on the spot, while four others sustained varying degrees of injuries when the IEDs exploded and one Lieutenant Musa, the team leader, has been declared missing after the incident which had thrown the community into confusion.

He, however, said the attack which later snowballed into a full-fledged confrontation, led to the death of several terrorists and left many of them with severe gunshots injuries.

According to the source, “The military armoured personnel carrier conveying seven officers was accompanying residents of Shimfida community this (Wednesday) morning to Jibia town so that they can buy some food items and ingredients.

“They were escorting two vehicles conveying residents to Jibia but unknown to the military personnel, the bandits planted IEDs on the road and when their APC marched the IEDs they exploded and killed the two soldiers.

“Four other personnel were critically injured and are currently receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Katsina. The corpses of the two slain officers have been deposited at a morgue in Katsina,” he said.

The Chairman of Shimfida Youth Development Association, Sa’ad Salisu, also confirmed the development and expressed fear that the incident may lead to their relocation to Jibia again.

Over 12,000 residents of the community were ransacked by terrorists in March, this year, but they were returned after spending five months in Jibia town as internally displaced persons (IDPs) on 18 August, 2022 by the state government. (THISDAY)

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