Soldiers shot dead in Zamfara forest

Suspected bandits have killed an unspecified number of soldiers at a forest in Doburu, Zurmi local government area of Zamfara state.

A military source disclosed this to TheCable on Saturday, saying many of his colleagues sustained injuries in the incident.

He said some of the injured persons are currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Zurumi

The source said the officer who led troops into the forest was captured by bandits.

“We ran into an ambush in the forest today. The bandits opened fire on us and we responded but they surrounded us from different directions,” he said.

“They had bombs and sophisticated weapons.”

Sani Usman, army spokesman, promised to get back to TheCable when he was contacted on Saturday night.

The high rate of insecurity in the north-west state has been a source of concern to the government.

Over 3000 people have reportedly been killed in the state in the last two years.

Last week, Amnesty International said its findings showed that suspected bandits killed over 50 people in Birnin Magaji, Maradun and Tsafe local government areas of Zamfara while 1700 people were displaced in Tsafe alone.

Some individuals have been calling for a declaration of state of emergency in the state.

Abdulaziz Yari, the governor who has since given up his role as the chief security officer of the state, joined those seeking state of emergency, saying he would have taken up arms if his office allowed him.

In an editorial on Thursday, TheCable called on the current administration to address the insecurity in the state.

The latest killing of soldiers in Zamfara is a big blow to the military which has suffered heavy causalities in the fight against Boko Haram in the north-east.