The Nigerian Army has said that there was no attack on critical national infrastructure.
It said that troops were ambushed while responding to a distress call in the Shiroro community.
A statement by the spokesman, Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu, said on Wednesday, June 29, troops of the Nigerian Army deployed in the Shiroro General Area, responded to a distress call of bandits attacking people operating a mining site.
Enroute to the location, the troops ran into an ambush, staged by the criminal elements, and a number of personnel paid the supreme price in the fierce firefight that ensued.
The statement added that the location has been reinforced and troops are on the trail of the criminals, with some already killed.
The General Officer Commanding, GOC 1 Division, has also moved to the location to take charge of the follow-up on operations.
The army noted that some clips of the incident have surfaced online, and wish to encourage well-meaning Nigerians to exercise some restraint, in posting images of such occurrence, mindful that families who may have lost their breadwinners deserve to be properly notified, and not to get such information via the media.
It said the army is mindful of the inalienable rights of citizens to use social media.
The army also clarified that the activities of the criminals were not on any critical national asset or infrastructure.
It called on Nigerians to continue to support the efforts of their military personnel, who continue to confront the enemies of the nation.
(Editor: Ifeanyi Mark)
