Lt-Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff, is en route to the Wushishi Local Government Area of Niger State, where a tragic incident occurred involving an ambush by bandits that resulted in the loss of lives among the troops.
The assault, which transpired on Monday, led to the unfortunate demise of several soldiers.
There have been unverified accounts suggesting that the recent crash of a Nigerian Air Force aircraft might have been orchestrated by these same bandits. However, the Nigerian Air Force has not officially confirmed or denied these speculations.
In a conversation with our correspondent on Tuesday, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations, acknowledged the presence of casualties among the troops but refrained from divulging specific figures.
He emphasized that the focus should be on the well-being of the soldiers’ families, who are grappling with the loss, rather than fixating on the count of casualties.
Brig. Gen. Onyema also stated that the Chief of Army Staff is en route to the site to provide encouragement and motivation to the troops.
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 until 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 occurred while the Chief of Army Staff was on an operational tour of the North-West Operations theater for an on-the-spot assessment and reinvigoration of ongoing operations. He is currently headed to the affected formation to encourage the troops.”
