No fewer than 10 people including soldiers lost their lives when hostilities broke out between some military personnel and villagers at Kpaidna village, Beji in Bosso Local Government Area of Niger State in the early hours of Thursday, August 4, 2016.
The clash occurred at around 1:30am when soldiers on duty were reportedly mistaken for Fulani herdsmen disguised in army uniform by the villagers.
Aside human casualties, four vehicles belonging to the Nigerian army were destroyed while the identities of the deceased were yet to be known as at the time of filing this report.
It was also gathered that the villagers ambushed the soldiers, whom they felt were armed Fulani herdsmen, who had been terrorising the community and in the ensued battle six of the soldiers died.
The soldiers were reported to have been in the village in search of arms and ammunition which they claimed were hidden inside some of the houses within the area by the villagers. Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Niger State Police Command, Mr. Bala Elikana, confirmed the clash.
“What happened between the military and the villagers was purely military operations. We were not involved in it.
“One of the two soldiers injured was admitted at the Police clinic while others are receiving treatment at the Minna General Hospital”, Elikana said, adding however that most of the dead were soldiers.
The state Police spokesman who however declined comments when asked the identities of the dead, said that five people died and that the tensed situation had been brought under control.
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