REVEALED: How 26 Nigerian Troops Were Killed In Ambush, Rescue Helicopter Crashed

REVEALED: How 26 Nigerian Troops Were Killed In Ambush, Rescue Helicopter Crashed

Gunmen ambushed Nigerian security forces in central Nigeria on Sunday night, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 26 personnel and injuring eight, according to sources from the military…CONTINUE READING

The incident occurred in an area where the army is combating criminal factions.

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Following the attack, an air force helicopter dispatched to rescue the wounded crashed on Monday morning in the same region. It remains uncertain whether the crew and passengers survived the crash.

The two military sources who provided information to AFP requested anonymity due to their lack of authorization to discuss the incident publicly, and official military authorities have not commented on the event.

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One of the sources reported that 23 soldiers, including three officers, and three members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a vigilante group, were lost during the encounter.

Additionally, eight soldiers were injured. The confrontation unfolded along the Zungeru-Tegina highway. A second officer corroborated these details, noting that the assailants also suffered significant casualties.

Communication was lost with an air force helicopter that was dispatched to evacuate the casualties. Eleven of the deceased and seven of the wounded were aboard this aircraft.

This helicopter crash was attributed to gunfire from the bandits, as stated by the second officer. An official spokesman from the Nigerian air force confirmed the crash of their Mi-171 helicopter. The aircraft was on a “casualty evacuation mission” when it departed from Zungeru Primary School and subsequently crashed near Chukuba Village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State. The air force is currently undertaking efforts to rescue those onboard, while preliminary investigations are underway to determine the cause of the crash.

Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, experiences frequent attacks and kidnappings by criminal groups known as “bandits,” particularly in the northwest and center of the country. These gangs, infamous for mass abductions of schools, maintain camps within a vast forest spanning Niger, Kaduna, Zamfara, and Katsina states. Northwest and central Nigeria have long suffered from the terrorizing activities of these bandits, who raid remote villages, perpetrate killings, abductions, looting, and arson.

The ongoing violence is attributed to factors such as impunity, inadequate security measures, and limited government presence in the affected regions. These challenges have allowed the situation to persist and escalate, as experts point out.