By 
…As Gunmen kill 8 soldiers, policemen in Imo
By Bisi LAWAL
The Defence Headquarters has launched comprehensive investigation into a video clip doing the rounds on social media of some soldiers engaging bandits in an undisclosed location within Katsina.
Director of Defence Information, DDI Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, who stated this in Abuja on Tuesday disclosed that the Defence Headquarters was actively examining the video to verify the authenticity of the soldiers appearing in uniform.
He expected that the Defence Headquarters was aware of certain bandits’ intentions to renounce their criminal activities and surrender their weapons to the authorities, a development that had shown promising results and was ongoing.
He added further that the Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Gwabin Musa, reassured Nigerians that the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) were committed to employing all lawful means to ensure peace and stability prevailed in the nation.
He reassured Nigerians that the non-violent strategies implemented to restore peace were yielding positive outcomes, with numerous bandits and other criminal elements willingly surrendering to the authorities.
He urged governments at all levels to facilitate the surrender process for those genuinely seeking redemption while the opportunity remained open.
He emphasised that the Defence Headquarters was diligently working towards reestablishing peace and tranquillity throughout the nation and urged all citizens to remain calm and law-abiding during these efforts.
In another development, tragedy struck Tuesday morning in Umualumaku village, Ehime Mbano Local Government area of Imo state when eight security personnel, including soldiers, police officers, and members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were ambushed and killed by gunmen.
The assailants ambushed and set fire to the combined security task force team in two security trucks.
A security operative who did not want to be identified told our correspondent that reinforcement teams had been dispatched to the crime scene with the purpose of apprehending the suspects and retrieving the bodies of the slain security operative.
A community resident who did not want to reveal his identity for security reasons said he observed the security agents a few minutes before they were set on fire.
He said that the community had been thrown into confusion, owing to the development.
When reached, Henry Okoye, the state police spokesperson, confirmed the development but requested more time to investigate the horrific incident.
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