By HeapNews
Nigerian troops on Monday repelled an ambush by suspected militants on a convoy carrying a senior army commander in northwestern Kebbi State, killing five attackers and recovering weapons and cash, the army said.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Division and Commander, Sector 2 of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Major General Bemgha Koughna, was travelling to visit frontline troops when his convoy came under heavy fire near Mayama Hill in Kebbi, according to a statement by Lieutenant Colonel Olaniyi Osoba, acting deputy director of army public relations for the division.
Troops responded with what the army described as “overwhelming firepower,” repelling the assault and neutralising five suspected members of the Lakurawa terrorist group (LTG). No casualties were reported among the convoy, the statement said.
After the clash, soldiers conducted a sweep of the area and recovered one OJC gun, one PKT machine gun, two AK-47 rifles and four AK-47 magazines. They also seized a bandolier of PKT ammunition, several rounds of 12.7mm ammunition, two mobile phones, five motorcycles and a bag containing 840,000 naira ($).
The army said troops remain deployed in the area to prevent further attacks and to maintain what it described as operational dominance in the volatile forested terrain.
Northwestern Nigeria has witnessed repeated attacks by armed groups targeting security forces and local communities, prompting intensified military operations across the region.
Operation FANSAN YAMMA is part of ongoing efforts by the Nigerian Army’s 8 Division to curb militant violence and protect civilians in the North West, the statement said.