NO fewer than 16 people were reportedly killed in a bloody military and civilians’ clash that occured at Kpaidna Village in Bosso Local Government Area of Niger State last Thursday, Sunday Tribune investigation revealed on Saturday.
Sunday Tribune gathered that a Lieutenant, eight non-commissioned officers and seven civilians were said to have lost their lives when military operatives, consisting of soldiers and air force personnel dressed in army uniforms, were mistaken for Fulani herdsmen by the Gwari farmers in the community.
Some of the civilians were said to have fled the scene into the communities with gunshots wounds in order to escape being killed.
Speaking with newsmen on Saturday, the PolicePublic Relations officer (PPRO) in the state, DSP Bala Elkana disclosed that the casulaties were high on the side of the military and civilians, adding that “when we got signals that on legitimate assignement were being attacked by the villagers, we raised a team of Mibile policemen to go on a rescue and search mission, we dicovered that it was purely a military action.”
Elkana stated further that investigations so far conducted by the police revealed that the Military authorities got a tip off that some people in the affected communities were moving in arms and they needed to act fast with the view to recover the exhibits and they got in contacts with the leadership of the Nigerian Air Force in the state.