By Stephen Ojo
Krestnews reports that residents of Alawa Community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State reported that the bodies of six Nigerian military personnel have been recovered from the forest after the weekend battle with Boko Haram.
The State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago while reacting to the incident, expressed sadness and vow with that the soldiers will not die in vain.
The Governor stated this on Sunday in a sympathy message sent 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 it oars in providing all the needed support towards halting the nefarious activities of bandits”.
An eye witness who spoke on condition of anonymity however said that the soldiers include a captain, one major and four others were ambushed while on their way to respond to a distress call around Bassa and Alawa communities in Shiroro local government area of Niger state
According to him “They were said to have lost there 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 from both sides.
A resident of the community however called on governments at all level to redouble efforts at providing security agencies with modern fighting equipments needed to defeat banditry and Boko Haram insurgents in the country.