A bomb planted by terrorists in the Galadima Kogo community of Niger State has exploded and killed four personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps attached to the area and 10 civilians.
The terrorists, who had earlier attacked Gpekure, Makuba and Galapai communities in the Shiroro Local Government Area of the state, killed eight persons on Sunday and abducted 13 others, were said to have planted Improvised Explosive Devices in the communities around 2am on Monday.
The Niger State Command of the NSCDC confirmed the killing of four of its men by IEDs planted by the terrorists.
In a statement by the Director of Public Relations, Dosumu Olusola, the command said the bomb exploded on an operational vehicle of the corps, killing four of its officers on the spot, while the driver of the vehicle sustained very serious injuries and was rushed to hospital, where he is currently battling for his life.
The statement read in part, “The explosion occurred in the Galadima Kogo area of the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State in the early hours of Monday and involved some officers and men of the NSCDC, Niger State Command, attached to the Shiroro Hydro Power Station, Shiroro, Niger State, who were on a routine patrol when their patrol vehicle stepped on a buried landmine, which exploded and killed all occupants, except the driver, who is currently in a very critical condition.
“The dead personnel were identified as Mohammed Ibrahim, Assistant Superintendent of Corps 1; Cheche Ahmed, Assistant Superintendent of Corps 2; Yunusa Mahmam, Inspector of Corps; and Bala Abdullahi, Corps Assistant 1. The driver, identified as Inspector Bala Adamu, is currently in hospital receiving treatment.”
Meanwhile the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Internal Security, Emmanuel Umar, confirmed that 10 civilians died in the explosion.
He said, “The attack happened and unfortunately we lost some of our men and 10 civilians.
“We lost four of our security personnel, who were in our security vehicle that ran over the bomb.”
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