ABUJA, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian military on Friday vowed to respond fiercely to the recent killing of at least five soldiers by suspected members of an outlawed group in the country's southeast region.
The five soldiers, murdered Wednesday following an ambush by the outlawed Indigenous People Of Biafra at a military checkpoint in the Aba town of the southern state of Abia, were among troops deployed to enforce peace in the area and protect citizens, said Edward Buba, a military spokesman, in a statement on Friday.
In response to that "dastardly" act, the military would be "fierce" while bringing overwhelming pressure on the group "to ensure their total defeat," the statement said.
The suspected gunmen who carried out the attack rode in three tinted sports utility vehicles, surrounded the military checkpoint, and sprang a surprise attack on the troops, killing at least five soldiers, the statement noted.
The military described the death of the soldiers as "a terrible loss," saying that it has commenced an investigation into the attack.
"Accordingly, the military must retaliate against this dastardly act against troops," the statement added.
