Nigerian Army Armoured vehicles have been reportedly set ablaze by bandits. The said armoured vehicles were abandoned by soldiers during an operation in a forest in the Kwashabawa area of the Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

It was reported that the terrorists dressed in combat regalia led by Bello Turji, a kingpin celebrated the burning of the vehicle with victory slogans, as they were chanting Allahu Akbar in celebration of “victory” over the Nigerian Army.

The gang leader was heard saying that the terrorists were still much after the military, as he moved towards the stuck vehicles while his gang members were seen removing the essential parts from the trucks, including ammunition boxes.

“Bello Turji has seized two trucks. Nigerian Army Bello Turji is coming for you, Insha Allah, if you don’t allow peace to reign. We are telling you and your clerics that we are with Allah”, he remarked.

As at the time of filing this report the Brigade spokesperson, YA Ibrahim, was yet to provide details of the incidents, but a security source with knowledge of the operation explained that the failed offensive was targeted at a gathering of terrorist kingpins in a meeting.

“The army got an intelligence report that bandits in large numbers, including several camps comprised of Bello Turji, Sani Black, Na Dutsen Kura, Dan Dogo, Nasanda, and Dankarami, were attending a meeting. In the process, one of the trucks got stuck, and another also got stuck while trying to remove it,” the source said, asking not to be named for security reasons, the source said.

‘The army called for reinforcement from the Air Force, but the Air Force could not respond, citing weather conditions. So, the soldiers withdrew from the scene and abandoned the vehicles because they could not move ahead in the dangerous areas unprepared’, it added.

The source disclosed that the trucks were stuck in the mud for over two days before the bandits arrived in the area and set fire to them, recalling that the operation was well coordinated by the military but failed.

“It is a well-coordinated operation that comprises a Major and two Captains. Had the operation been successful, insecurity in Zamfara would have been reduced to the barest minimum. Those soldiers attached to Zurmi are trying. So they planned to attack and strike them (bandits), but the air force failed them. The Air Force are behaving as if they come from a different country, the source stated.

“What happened in Kwashabawa clearly showed that there is no synergy between the land Army and the Air Force, and everyone living in Zurmi can confirm this, the source concluded.

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