Seventeen Nigerian soldiers were killed and four wounded when gunmen overran three forward operating bases in the country’s volatile north, security sources said Wednesday.
Armed gangs locally dubbed “bandits” struck the army posts at Kwanar Dutse Mariga and Boka in Niger State and a third base in neighboring Kaduna State on Tuesday, battling troops for hours, the sources told the AP. All fatalities occurred at the Kwanar Dutse Mariga camp, district chairman Abbas Kasuwar Garba confirmed.
“It was an ambush—they came out of nowhere with heavy weapons,” a Niger-based officer said.
In a brief statement, the army acknowledged the attacks, saying “gallant warriors paid the supreme price,” while four wounded soldiers were receiving treatment. It claimed counterattacks killed “several” assailants but gave no figures.
Northwestern Nigeria is plagued by criminal gangs that raid villages and abduct residents for ransom. The military is already stretched thin by a 15-year conflict against Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa insurgents farther east, and security analysts say the bandits have grown more brazen amid thin troop deployments.
Niger State has suffered repeated ambushes on security forces; officials say some Boko Haram fighters have shifted operations into its forests, complicating efforts to secure the region.
The army said an investigation is under way and reinforcements have been dispatched to the affected bases.
