Nigerian Army Repels Invasion Of Abuja By Terrorists After Train Attack

Barely a week after terrorists attacked an Abuja-Kaduna train, which left at least eight passengers dead, 41 injured and scores kidnapped, troops of Guards Brigade, Nigerian Army yesterday repelled an attack by scores of armed terrorists, who invaded an Abuja community, Gurara, bordering Niger State and the FCT.

The invasion came as the Nigerian Army also yesterday described as diversionary a viral video, which claimed that troops abandoned their colleague during an operation against terrorists, explaining that the soldier who shot the video to escape getting involved in the fight against the terrorists out of cowardice, had since returned to his unit.

This is even as Kaduna State Government dismissed claims that bandits barricaded Abuja-Kaduna highway yesterday, with a view to attacking travellers.

These came on a day the Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, Engr. Fidet Okhiria, told Vanguard that so far, 123 passengers, who managed to escape the train attack, have returned to their various homes after receiving medical attention, adding, however, that 18 families were yet to see their loved ones.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives said yesterday that security agencies in the country have failed Nigerians, considering the heightened level of insecurity in the country.

On the attempted invasion of the FCT, investigations by Vanguard showed that the terrorists were on their way from Niger State when they ran into an ambush by troops deployed from Zuma Barracks base located at Suleija.

It was learned that during a massive gunfight, several of the bandits met their Waterloo, while the Army also recorded some casualties.

A top military source, who confirmed the encounter at Gurara on grounds of anonymity, said troops overpowered the terrorists, adding that an investigation was ongoing to ascertain the number of terrorists killed.

The source noted that the ambush tactics of the Army really dealt a great blow to the terrorists, many of whom ran back into the bush in disarray.

According to the source, troops are currently tracing the route of the terrorists to ascertain where they came from and recover weapons abandoned after the encounter.