One Army officer and ten soldiers have been killed in an attack that occurred in Benue state after been ambushed by unidentified gunmen.
Days after they went missing, their bodies were found at Konshisha Local Government Area of the State by a search team drawn from Operation Whirl Stroke.
According to a statement by Director Army Public Relations Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima, the attack on the troops in Benue State was unprovoked.
The statement reads;
Nigerian Army (NA) troops operating in Benue State came under attack while on routine operational task.
The troops comprising one officer and ten soldiers were initially declared missing which prompted the deployment of a joint search and rescue team comprising NA troops and personnel of Operation Whirl Stroke.
The search and rescue team unfortunately found all the missing troops dead in Konshisha LGA of Benue State.
While the bodies of the slain troops were evacuated immediately, efforts are ongoing to track down the perpetrators of this heinous crime with a view to bringing them to Justice.
It added;
The NA under the leadership of the COAS Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru remains resolute in ensuring stability in Benue State as well as other parts of the country that are affected by the activities of criminal gangs.
The NA remains determined to ensure that this unprovoked attack does not disrupt the general peace being enjoyed by the local inhabitants.
The COAS has therefore directed commanders on the ground to ensure sustained efforts in order to fish out and deal decisively with these bad elements who are threatening the peace in the area.
The violence in the Middle Belt region marked the latest bout of instability in Nigeria, Africa’s most-populous nation.
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On Monday, heavily armed gunman freed more than 1,800 prisoners in Imo state, while armed bandits have kidnapped hundreds of school children in the northwest in recent months and Islamist militants in the northeast have waged a decade-long insurgency.
