Boko Haram Terrorists are alleged to have killed several soldiers on Thursday night when they attacked an Army checkpoint at Zuma Rock, which separates the FCT from Niger State.
According to sources, at around 8.30 p.m. on the Abuja-Kaduna highway, the terrorists arrived at Zuma Rock on the axis of Madalla and Suleija and ambushed the soldiers by firing from a range of places.
“They were shooting continuously at the checkpoint for almost one hour, and soldiers at the checkpoint were fighting back. But eventually, the firing ceased, according to a source.
The sources said the terrorists later abandoned their mission of moving into Abuja and retreated toward Kaduna axis.
While retreating, the bandits who were said to be on several motorbikes, reportedly attacked some villages and shops in Madalla and carried foodstuff on their motorbikes before bolting.
Following the retreat of the terrorists, more troops and equipment from the Army base in Zuma Barracks were deployed for reinforcement to the scene.
Another source said a joint security operatives team was going on patrol around the axis when sounds of gunshot erupted and they moved towards the scene only to discover that it was an ongoing battle between soldiers and bandits.
The source said the security operatives immediately radioed the Army Barracks at Zuma Rock, resulting in the deployment of reinforcement to the scene.
The fighting reportedly caused a severe traffic jam, as motorists remained trapped on the Abuja-Kaduna Highway.
The attack comes barely six days after terrorists ambushed a patrol team of presidential guards team along the Bwari-Kubwa Road resulting in the death of six soldiers and officers following an intelligence report that they were planning to attack the Nigerian Law School in Bwari.
The attack and other kidnapping incidents have resulted in heightened tension in the FCT, with schools closed.
Due to a bandit attack that occurred in a neighbouring community 24 hours earlier, the administration of Federal Government College, Kwali, requested that parents evacuate their children from the school.
Recall that on July 5, when the terrorists bombed the gates of Abuja’s Kuje Prison and released nearly 800 inmates, including 66 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist commanders and members, they also killed a member of the NSCDC.
Additionally, the terrorists had threatened to kidnap Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, the governor of Kaduna State, and President Muhammadu Buhari.
