Bandits operating within Birnin Gwari area of Kaduna State have killed twelve security operatives, including seven personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC.
NigeriaCrime.com learned that the personnel who were attached to the Kaduna State Ministry of Mines were ambushed and killed by bandits while on official duty at a mining site in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The sad incident reportedly took place on Monday, 9th January 2023, at about 10 am at the Kuriga mining site in Birnin Gwari.
According to a native in the community, Abubakar Kakangi, the affected communities were Kubau village and Unguwan Zakara village.
Kakangi said the bandits had an agreement with the communities where they allowed the locals to farm.
“However, the bandits usually passed through the villages to sell stolen cows which the security are not happy about. Three weeks ago, security killed a boy who was looking after their cattle. The bandits were not happy over the murder of the boy.”
“On Sunday the bandits stormed Aka security checkpoint along Birnin-Gwari to Kakangi/Randagi road of Western part of Birnin-Gwari LGA.”
Recounting how the incident happened, Abubakar Kakangi said the attack took place around 2:00 pm. The bandits divided themselves into two groups and carried out the attack simultaneously at the two villages where they killed scores of security personnel including the Civil Defence Corps, police, vigilante and soldiers.
Confirming the incident, the Director, Public Relations at the NSCDC National Headquarters, DCC Olusola Odumosu said they were “killed alongside five others from a sister security agency and local security service”.
According to him, “After the attack, the bandits carted away riffles of the slain operatives and the remains of the slain officers and men have been recovered and deposited at the Barau Dikko Hospital Kaduna.
“The Commandant General, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, described the unfortunate incident as a big loss to the Corps, families of the slain victims and the nation.
“He commiserates with the families and friends of the deceased and prays that God grants them the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.
“In honour of the slain personnel, the CG has directed that the Corps’ flag be hoisted at half-mast and that a national prayer involving both Christians and Muslims be organized at the Corps National headquarters, Abuja, to pray for God’s protection for all officers and men of the Corps in the new year and avert a recurrence of such awful incident”, he added.