By Kamsi Anayo, Awka
No fewer than six soldiers have been confirmed killed when armed men suspected to be bandits opened fire on the convoy of the member, representing Agwara/Borgu Federal Constituency, Hon. Jafaru Mohammed Ali.
The six soldiers were drafted to provide additional security for the member who was touring his Constituency when his convoy came under heavy gunfire at Kuble community along Babanna road.
Although the member and his civilian staff were unhurt during the attack, the soldiers who were leading the convoy were all killed during the ambush by gunmen numbering over 50 and armed with sophisticated weapons.
The incident occurred a few meters from the Kainji National Park, where armed bandits have seized control and occupied for nearly two years now.
The member and other members of his entourage were later evacuated to Babanna town after the military sent a reinforcement team to the scene.
A source close to the community told our Correspondent that the state Governor, Umaru Mohammed Bago, promptly deployed a helicopter to Babanna to evacuate the Member and the other members of his entourage to Minna for safety and further debriefings.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that security surveillance and intelligence monitoring are ongoing across the Kuble–Babanna–Wawa axis to track the perpetrators and ensure the safety of all personnel and communities within the national park sector.
The security situation in Borgu local government area, which plays host to several federal government agencies and institutions, has escalated in recent times, with some people killed and several others abducted for ransom.
It could be recalled that in July this year, the new dreaded terrorist group, the Lakurawa sect, made an appearance in the area and hoisted its flag at Kemenji, in the Borgu sector of Kainji Lake National Park.
The group, numbering about 200 according to a local source in the area, arrived on July 15th on approximately 68 motorcycles, with each motorcycle carrying between three and two members of the group.
A local source said, “We did not know where they came from, but they told us that they are Lakurawa sects and that they have come to help their members who are constantly being harassed”.
Our source said that their first point of call was Olli River, where they hijacked some local boat drivers and ordered them to ferry them across to the Awuru community in the local government.
Apart from the Lukarawa sect, the Boko Haram sect and bandits had occupied the Kainji National Park for over two years now, engaging in mining activities and tree felling for the timber business.
However, neither the government nor the state police command has issued any statement on the latest attack.
