A soldier has been killed in a gun battle with bandits in Manja village of Plateau state.
Sources told Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication, that the soldier, identified as Yusuf Zakari, a lance corporal, was killed while troops were repelling an attack on the village.
Makama said troops deployed as a blocking force came under heavy gunfire from armed assailants advancing through Manja forest on July 26.
The troops had been positioned to prevent the attackers from infiltrating Manja community, which according to Makama has witnessed repeated security threats linked to farmer-herder conflicts in recent months.
“At about 1:25 p.m. on July 26, the troops made contact with the advancing Fulani bandits, triggering a prolonged and intense exchange of fire,” Makama said.
“Despite putting up a determined resistance, Lance Corporal Zakari was reportedly ambushed during the battle and was fatally wounded while defending his comrades and the civilian population.
