Soldier declared missing as bandits break into military camp in Niger

A soldier was declared missing after armed bandits stormed a military camp in Zazzaga community in Munya Local Government Area of Niger State.

Daily Trust gathered that the bandits engaged soldiers on ground in a gun battle that lasted two hours.

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A source said the bandits recorded heavy casualties but Daily Trust cannot independently verify this claim.

The latest attack happened three weeks after bandits, in large numbers, attacked a Security Joint Task Force base in Allawa and Basa in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger, killing five soldiers and a Mobile Policeman.

Although, no Soldier was killed in this latest attack, a soldier said to be the RSM of the camp, has been declared missing.

Daily Trust learnt that the bandits, who stormed Zagzaga community at about 4:00am, shared themselves into three groups.

While one group made their way straight to the Military Camp located at the Junior Secondary School, about 500 meters from the town, the second group laid ambush on the major road leading to the community.

The third group, according to our source, made their way to the community to prevent any reinforcements from the vigilantes and the youths.

The source also said that after about two hours of gun exchange from 4:00am to 6:00am, the soldiers ran out of ammunition and made a retreat.

After the soldiers beat a retreat, the bandits stormed the camp, set military vehicles on fire and went away with another while they also burnt the food store in the camp.

“I think the bandits might have used the Military Vehicle to evacuate the injured ones and possibly some dead ones among them because the Soldiers really fought them until they ran out of ammunition.

“The bandits came around 4:00am and since that time, we were hearing gun shots till about 6:00am.”

The Military Camp in Zagzaga has been in existence since 2012 when the activities of the bandits took a different dimension with the killing of no fewer than 50 members of the community in one month.