Terrorists Strike At Zuma Rock Military Checkpoint, Leave Soldiers Dead In Shootout
BY EDMOND ODOK- Fear and anxiety reached palpable height on Thursday night with reports that an unknown number of soldiers may have been killed by invading Boko Haram Terrorists who stormed an Army checkpoint around Zuma Rock, a border area between Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Niger State
According to reliable sources, the terrorists stormed the military checkpoint around 8.30 pm, taking the Soldiers by surprise as they opened fire from different angles and left some of their targets dead in the process.
Offering insight on the attack that occurred around the popular Madalla-Suleija axis along the now notorious Abuja-Kaduna Highway, one of the sources said the terrorists were shooting non-stop at the checkpoint for almost an hour with the Soldiers holding their position and fighting back gallantly.
“After a while, the shooting stopped as the terrorists seem to have decided on backing down in their mission of advancing into Abuja as they retreated towards the Kaduna axis that has become their fortress in recent times”, the source said.
Another eyewitness account said that the criminals on retreating, using several motorbikes attacked some settlements and shops around Madalla, carting away foodstuff as they bolted from the area following the arrival of more troops and equipment deployed for reinforcement to the scene from the Army base located in Zuma Barracks.
With the reinforcement quickly stabilizing and taking control of the area, the source said the joint security operatives on patrol in the area were those that immediately contacted the Army Barracks at Zuma Rock resulting in the backup deployed to the incident scene.
Further reports hinted that the night incident resulted in a serious hold-up and traffic congestion on the Abuja-Kaduna Highway as motorists were trapped and turned between whether to proceed on their journeys or return to base due to fears of being caught in the crossfire.
This latest attack is coming barely days after the bandits ambushed a patrol team of Presidential Guards along the Bwari-Kubwa road leading to the death of six (6) soldiers and officers after an intelligence report indicated that they were planning an attack on the Nigerian Law School located in Bwari.
For now, tension and anxiety continue to mount in the Nation’s capital over disturbing news of bandits’ attack and kidnapping with the management of Federal Government College, Kwali, requesting parents to evacuate their children and wards from the School due to a security breach by bandits 24 hours earlier in a neighbouring community.
Similarly, some private schools around Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and its environs have rushed their final term examinations with the students directed to go home because of the security alerts by the relevant authorities.
The heightening tension across the FCT arose when a number of terrorists invaded the Kuje medium Correctional Centre to free some of their dreaded colleagues held in detention on July 5, 2022. In the said attack, an officer of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was killed as the invaders blew open the prison’s gates and released over 800 inmates, including 66 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist Commanders and members.
After a recent kidnap attack in Kaduna State, the terrorists, in a viral video, penciled down President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State as their next targets for abduction.
