‘Repentant’ bandits on Monday ambushed and killed eight soldiers, despite restrictions on media coverage of attacks and other violent crimes allegedly perpetrated by bandits in Kaduna State.
A relative of one of the slain soldiers confirmed the incident to SaharaReporters via a WhatsApp message. Other sources also corroborated the development.
According to the source, the families of the deceased soldiers are still mourning and have yet to receive official notification from the Nigerian Army authorities.
“Yes, I can confirm the killing of eight soldiers, including my brother, by the so-called ‘repentant’ bandits in Kaduna State,” the source said.
He added that, according to preliminary information available to him, the bandits were en route to attack communities located along the Kaduna River between Chikun and Igabi Local Government Areas, several kilometres from the Kaduna Train Bridge, when they came into contact with troops.
“The troops came into contact with the bandits and lost one officer and seven other soldiers during the encounter,” he said.
The source further disclosed that about a week earlier, the same group of so-called repentant bandits allegedly ambushed troops at a different location in Kaduna State, killing one soldier and leaving a military commander with serious injuries.
The injured commander is currently undergoing medical treatment.
The latest attack has reignited concerns over the effectiveness of the government’s non-kinetic strategy for tackling insecurity in Kaduna State. Authorities have consistently promoted dialogue, reconciliation and rehabilitation programmes for bandits said to have surrendered as part of efforts to restore peace.
The incident also comes amid growing concerns over what observers describe as a decline in media reporting of banditry and other security-related incidents in the state.
Nigeria’s policy of granting amnesty and reintegrating ‘repentant’ bandits and terrorists, through the Federal Government’s Operation Safe Corridor and state-level initiatives in places like Kaduna, is heavily contested, drawing widespread public outrage and deep skepticism.
Many Nigerians view the pardoning and vocational reintegration of former insurgents as a grave injustice. Critics argue that coddling former fighters, often providing them with starter kits and stipends, is a slap in the face to victims, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and the families of fallen soldiers.
Security experts and citizens fear that these programs release hardened criminals back into the very communities they terrorized. There are multiple reports of ‘repentant’ individuals relapsing or acting as spies and informants for active insurgent networks.
There is also frustration that none of the prominent warlords or high-level terrorists are publicly prosecuted to serve as a deterrent. Civil rights groups and organizations like the Middle Belt Forum frequently fault state governments for celebrating pardons for outlaws who have devastated communities without holding them accountable for their crimes.
(SaharaReporters)
