In a tragic incident in northwestern Nigeria, five soldiers and one police officer lost their lives during a militant ambush, the military reported on Tuesday. The troops were attacked while en route to counter a raid on a village in Zamfara State, adding to the region’s escalating security crisis.
Known locally as ‘bandits’, these armed groups have terrorized communities across northwest Nigeria, engaging in mass killings and kidnappings. They often operate from secluded forest areas, stretching Nigeria’s military efforts thin in these isolated regions.
In a subsequent operation, the military claimed to have apprehended three suspects and neutralized four militants during a raid on specific communities in Zamfara, conducted over several days this January.