The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, says it neutralized over fifty Boko Haram terrorists, who on Monday laid an ambush against its monitoring team on inspection of the National Grid Installation located in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
A statement Wednesday by CSC Babawale Afolabi, the NSCDC’s National Public Relations Officer, made the disclosure. However, the statement said about seven NSCDC operatives are currently missing in action, while a few others sustained injuries.
The incident was said to have occurred at about 15.40 hours when the convoy of the special monitoring squad comprising 9 Officers and 71 other ranks drawn from the Commandant General Special Intelligence Squad (CG SIS), operatives, FCT Command, and Kaduna State Command, respectively, were ambushed at Farin- Kasa Area of Chukun LGA in Kaduna State.
The squad was crossing from the Shiroro axis after the surveillance and monitoring oversight of the installations.
Recall that Nigeria had experienced a total blackout recently due to the collapse of the National Grid as a result of constant attacks on the facilities by bandits and vandalism of the installation by the same group of people, which led to the setting up of the Special Monitoring Squad by the Commandant General (CG), Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, to assess the state of damage, conduct surveillance activities and possibly arrest and bring perpetrators to book.
The NSCDC NPRO Afolabi revealed that the combined team which embarked on patrol of the National Grid Installation from Shiroro along some flash points and vulnerable areas, however, came across some stranded expatriates in the bush around Dagwachi Village axis returning from a mining site at Tutu area of Niger state, that joined the convoy in a bid to protect them through Farin- Kasa Area of Chukun LGA in Kaduna.
“Unknown to them, over 200 dreaded armed Boko haram elements had laid ambushed on a vengeful mission against security operatives who they claimed had been giving them problems.
“And from the top of a hill located at Farin-Kasa, they opened fire upon sighting the long convoy of the NSCDC monitoring team using different sophisticated weapons.
“The Combined NSCDC operatives in the ambush, however, not overwhelmed by terrorists, repelled the attack and successfully neutralized over 50 of the terrorists in the crossfire.
“As at the time of filling this report, about 7 operatives of the NSCDC are currently missing in action and efforts are currently underway to locate them in the bush, while a few others who sustained various degrees of Injuries are currently undergoing medical treatment in a Medical facility.
“The NSCDC as the lead agency in the protection of critical national assets and infrastructure will not be cowed or deterred by any attack by terrorists or any group of saboteurs trying to sabotage the efforts of government towards actualizing the renewed hope agenda of Mr. President in ensuring the revival of the power sector for a stable electricity supply nationwide,” the NSCDC spokesperson emphasized.
Afolabi said the NSCDC Commandant General has described the attack on NSCDC personnel as callous, and unfortunate, reiterating the Corps’ commitment to safeguarding all critical national assets and Infrastructure without compromise.
He reiterated the Corps’ commitment to safeguarding all critical national assets and Infrastructure without compromise and commended the courage, resilience, and gallantry of the operatives in neutralizing over 50 of the bandits despite the attack from the mountaintop. He affirmed that the Corps is proud of them and will never forget such unflinching commitment.
