An Unknown Number Of Soldiers Were Said To Have Been Killed On Thursday Night By Boko Haram Terrorists Who Stormed An Army Checkpoint Around Zuma Rock Which Is At The Border Between FCT And Niger State
Sources Said The Terrorists Arrived Zuma Rock Iwhich Is On The Axis Of Madalla And Suleija Along The Abuja-Kaduna Highway At About 8.30pm And Took The Soldiers By Surprise By Opening Fire From Different Angles
“They Were Shooting Continuously At The Checkpoint For More Almost One Hour But Soldiers At The Checkpoint Were Fighting Back And After A While, The Shooting Stopped”, A Source Said.
Sources Said The Terrorists Later Abandoned Their Mission Of Moving Into Abuja And Retreated Towards Kaduna Axis.
While Retreating, The Bandits Who Were Said To Be In Several Motorbikes Reportedly Attacked Some Villages And Shops In Madalla And Carried Foodstuff On Their Motorbikes Before Bolting Away.
Following The Retreat Of The Terrorists, More Troops And Equipment From The Army Base In Zuma Barracks Were Deployed For Reinforcement To The Scene To Stabilize And Take Control Of The Environment.
A Source Said A Joint Security Operatives Team Were Going On Patrol Around The Axis When Sounds Of Gunshot Erupted And They Mived Towards The Scene Only To Discover That It Was An Ongoing Battle Between Soldiers And Bandits.
The Source Said The Security Operatives Immediately Radioed The Army Barracks At Zuma Rock Resulting In The Deployment Of Reinforcement To The Scene.
The Fighting Reportedly Caused Severe Traffic Jam As Motorists Remained Trapped On The Abuja-Kaduna Highway Amidst Fear Of Being Caught In The Crossfire.
The Attack Comes Barely Six Days After Terrorists Carried Out An Ambush Attack On A Patrol Tesm Of Presidential Guards Team Along The Bwari- Kubwa Road Resulting In The Death Of 6 Soldiers And Officers Following Intelligence Report That They Were Planning To Attack The Nigerian Law School In Bwari.
The Attack And Other Kidnapping Incidents Have Resulted In Heightened Tension In The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) With Schools Closed Starting With The Management Of Federal Government College, Kwali, Asking Parents To Evacuate Their Children From The School As A Result Of An Attack By Bandits In A Neighbouring Community 24 Hours Earlier.
Recall That The Terrorists Began The Attacks By Invading Kuje Prison In Abuja With Bombs On July 5, 2022, Killing An NSCDC Officer, Blowing Open The Gates And Freeing Over 800 Inmates Including 66 Boko Haram/ISWAP Terrorists Commanders And Members.
The Terrorists Had Also Threatened To Abduct President Muhammadu Buhari And The Governor Of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El Rufai.
