26 members of Nigeria’s security forces killed in ambush

At least 26 members of the Nigerian security forces were killed whilst eight were wounded in an ambush by gunmen in central Nigeria on August 13. 

Also, eight were wounded in the ambush and a helicopter rescuing the wounded crashed in the area on August 14 in the area, according to AFP, August 14. 

In central Nigeria, the country’s army is fighting criminal groups and they did not confirm whether the crew and passengers had survived or not. 

A Nigerian air force spokesman confirmed that the army’s Mi-171 helicopter while on a “casualty evacuation mission” crashed on August 14, following take-off from the country’s town of Zungeru. 

Northwest and central Nigeria have for years been terrorized by criminal gangs who raid remote villages where they murder and abduct residents for ransom.  

The bandits have previously burnt the homes of their victims in the aftermath of the lootings. 

The gangs, who are well known for mass school abductions, have camps in various forest areas in the states of Niger, Kaduna, Zamfara and Katsina. 

Military officials were not available for comment following the African nation’s tragic events. 

AFP