In yet another attack, armed bandits on Tuesday, killed a commercial bus driver, leaving several others including a soldier wounded during a botched operation at the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, Peoples Gazette can report.

Military sources told the Gazette that the gunmen, who stormed the Pipeline area of the highway from the Kaduna-Nirni Gwari axis of the state, were promptly repelled by troops of ‘Operation Thunder Strike’ on routine patrol.

While an unconfirmed number of bandits fled the scene with gunshot wounds, a lance corporal identified as Usman Usman 12NA/67/1475 was also injured in the heavy gunfire, our sources said.

The yet to be identified driver, who was conveying travellers to Benin in a bus owned by the Kaduna State Transport Company, was said to have died instantly after being hit by a stray bullet, while the vehicle strayed into the bush.

Our sources confirmed that none of the travellers, some of whom scurried for safety were kidnapped. 

The Gazette learnt that other passengers who sustained varying degrees of injuries in the incident were evacuated to St. Gerard’s Hospital, a private medical facility in the state for treatment.

The wounded soldier, Lance Corporal Usman, is also receiving treatment at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna.

Military sources told the Gazette that the fleeing bandits decided to invade Maigigiyan village to “vent their anger on the villagers” over the unsuccessful attack on the volatile highway.

The Gazette could not immediately verify if any lives were lost in the ensuing attack. An army spokesman did not return requests for comments.
“Troops morale remains high while highway patrols are intensified,” our sources added.

Military and civilian authorities have repeatedly claimed to be making efforts to counter banditry in Kaduna and other parts of the northwest.