The MI-171 Helicopter was on a ‘casualty evacuation mission’ in Niger state, one of the worst-hit? in the attacks carried out by gangs of bandits in the north of the country, said the Nigerian Air Force. The reason for the crash is still being investigated, the air force added. However, it did not provide details of the casualties from the incident that took place on Monday.?

The helicopter was allegedly shot down by bandits in the state’s Shiroro district, the locals told AP. The bandit gangs mostly include former herdsmen who have finally taken up arms after clashing for several decades over limited access to land and water, with the farming communities.?

“In their dedicated service to our beloved country, they paid the ultimate price,” said the Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday night, mourning the death of the victims. ?

Videos that appeared to have been filmed at the scene showed bodies scattered around a charred helicopter, while men wielding guns boasted about the crash.“They (the gunmen) have held our people hostage and are now taking over the villages,” a youth leader from Shriroro, Banged Kudos told the AP. He added that at least 20 military personnel died in the crash and the attack that gave rise to the rescue mission.?

Another resident, Samailu Same, said the attack was led by Dogo Gide, one of the gang leaders known to have evaded military airstrikes and arrests for years.?

A Nigerian helicopter which had been sent to rescue military personnel from a deadly attack crashed after being fired on by gunmen in the north central region, killing those on board, witnesses said on Wednesday.

“The bandits had attacked one village … and they killed many soldiers there. It was the plane that came to pack the dead bodies that they gunned down," said Samu.

The incident could potentially further complicate Nigeria’s security interventions in violent hotspots. Tinubu, who was elected as president this year, has been unsuccessful in putting an end to these deadly attacks on communities on the margins, despite highlighting it as a key focus of his administration.