Nigeria – On November 19, Boko Haram insurgents ambushed a convoy of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officers in Niger State, resulting in multiple fatalities and injuries. The convoy, comprising five vehicles and 20 officers from the Kaduna Command, was providing escort for a mining syndicate that included two Chinese nationals.
The attack occurred near the Dagwachi-Falali axis as the convoy was returning from a mining site located in a forested area between Niger and Kaduna States. During the ambush, two NSCDC officers were killed, and a Chinese miner, identified as Liu, sustained gunshot wounds. Two other officers, Aminu Shehu and Bello Tanimu, were also injured in the gunfire exchange.
Coordinated Attack Leaves Several Dead
The ambush also targeted a separate NSCDC team from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, which had been deployed to inspect the Shiroro power transmission line. This team, traveling in 11 vehicles, had lost their way and encountered the Kaduna convoy. Upon meeting, the Kaduna officers, familiar with the terrain, agreed to guide the FCT team towards the Shiroro station via Kurebe Road.
As the teams approached the Dagwachi area, a Boko Haram scout spotted the convoy and alerted his group. The militants, hiding near a river along the convoy’s route, sent a villager to the NSCDC officers with a demand to return a motorcycle abandoned by their scout. The villager warned that the convoy would be attacked if the motorcycle was not handed over.
Fierce Gun Battle Erupts
The FCT team commander ordered the officers to disembark and proceed on foot as they neared the river. Suddenly, militants began firing from a hilltop. The officers returned fire, reportedly killing more than 20 terrorists. However, the militants eventually descended the hill and intensified their assault, forcing the convoy to retreat.
In the ensuing firefight, four NSCDC officers—two from the Kaduna Command and two from the FCT Command—lost their lives. Six other individuals, including a Chinese miner, sustained injuries. The officers abandoned four vehicles, which were later set ablaze by the insurgents.
The following day, the Nigerian Army mobilized over 100 soldiers to recover the bodies of the slain officers and secure the area. Tragically, two soldiers were killed when their vehicle struck an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by the militants. In retaliation, the soldiers engaged the insurgents, reportedly neutralizing several more.
