Nigeria: 8 soldiers killed in armed ambush

By Olarewaju Kola

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - Armed men ambushed and killed eight soldiers on Tuesday in a remote community in the northern Benue State in Nigeria, security sources said on Wednesday.

The sources told Anadolu Agency that some armed men suspected to be militia members killed eight soldiers on Tuesday, leading to deployment of more troops in the volatile area.

Confirming the attack, the state's Governor Samuel Ortom told journalists that two soldiers were missing in the Tuesday attack on army troops by local militia at Konshisha, a remote community in the area.

"Reports reaching me indicate that troops on a peace mission at Konshisha were attacked by some people but security forces were able to repel them. However, two soldiers are missing in the attack," he disclosed.

Soldiers were deployed in the Konshisha community to quell communal clashes over land dispute in the area.

Benue State has recently experienced increasing violence, including last month's attack on the state governor, clashes between farmers and herders clashes, and banditry.