Boko Haram terrorists are said to have killed an unknown number of soldiers on Thursday night when they stormed an Army checkpoint near Zuma Rock, the border between the FCT and Niger State.
According to sources, the terrorists arrived Zuma Rock around 8.30 p.m. on the axis of Madalla and Suleija along the Abuja-Kaduna highway and caught the soldiers off guard, opening fire from various angles.
“They fired continuously at the checkpoint for nearly an hour, and the soldiers at the checkpoint fought back.” “But the shooting stopped after a while,” a source said.
According to sources, the terrorists abandoned their mission to move into Abuja and retreated towards the Kaduna axis.
While fleeing, the bandits, who were said to be riding on several motorcycles, reportedly attacked some villages and shops in Madalla and stole food before fleeing.
Following the terrorists’ retreat, more troops and equipment from the Army base at Zuma Barracks were sent to the scene to provide reinforcement.
According to another source, a joint security operatives team was patrolling the axis when they heard gunshots and moved towards the scene, only to discover that there was an ongoing battle between soldiers and bandits.
According to the source, security operatives immediately radioed the Army Barracks at Zuma Rock, resulting in reinforcement being deployed to the scene.
Read Also: NCC expresses concern about telecommunications infrastructure theft
The fighting is said to have caused a major traffic jam on the Abuja-Kaduna Highway.
The attack comes just six days after terrorists ambushed a presidential guards patrol team along the Bwari-Kubwa Road, killing six soldiers and officers after receiving intelligence that they were planning to attack the Nigerian Law School in Bwari.
The attack and other kidnapping incidents have heightened tensions in the FCT, which has resulted in school closures.
As a result of a bandit attack in a nearby community 24 hours earlier, the management of Federal Government College, Kwali, asked parents to evacuate their children from the school.
Remember that the terrorists started the attacks on July 5 by infiltrating Kuje Prison in Abuja with bombs, killing an NSCDC officer, blowing open the gates, and releasing over 800 inmates, including 66 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist commanders and members.
Terrorists also threatened to kidnap President Muhammadu Buhari and Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir el-Rufai.
