Army kills 11 suspected terrorists in Sokoto

Eleven suspected terrorists have been killed in an operation carried out between Saturday night and Sunday in Gatawa, Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

This was disclosed by a top military officer on condition of anonymity.

The senior officer said, “troops moved in after receiving a distress call from personnel stationed in the area, following an overnight attack on Gatawa community that left five vigilante members dead and another critically injured.

“The reinforcement team led by a Nigerian Army Major “ran into the attackers and engaged them in a fierce exchange, overpowering them and neutralising 11.”

He added that the operation was part of an immediate response to Saturday’s attack, during which residents reported that armed attackers invaded the community around 1:30 a.m., shooting sporadically.

Local sources said members of the vigilante group tried to repel the attackers but lost four men on the spot, while two others sustained gunshot injuries. One of the injured later died in the hospital.

Residents further disclosed that six people including two married women, two teenage girls and two young boys were abducted during the raid, while an unspecified number of livestock were stolen.

The attackers reportedly fled before the arrival of security operatives.

However, the military source confirmed that troops tracked the terrorists into the bush and engaged them, resulting in the killing of eleven of the suspects early Monday morning.

Nigerian Tribune