JTF Kills 10 Bandits in Taraba

Wole Ayodele in Jalingo

The Joint Task Force (JTF) comprising the army and police last Wednesday killed 10 bandits at Katibu village in Lau village of Taraba State.

The bandits, who were coming on motorcycles after attacking Mega village in Adamawa State, were ambushed at Katibu, a village on the border between Taraba and Adamawa States.

Many of the bandits, who were of the Fulani extraction, according to police authorities, escaped with bullet wounds into Adamawa State while a sub machine gun (SMG), two AK47 rifles, three dane guns, one G3 rifle and four motorcycles were recovered from them.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of operations at the Taraba State Command, Olaleye Faleye, who briefed journalists, said the command acted on a tip-off to carry out the operation.

According to him, “On May 10, we received an intelligence that some bandits were seen in large number at Mega village in Numan Local Government Area of Adamawa State. Mega is at the border between Adamawa and Taraba States.

“Several police and military personnel were deployed to prevent possible attack on the communities in the area. While the bandits were returning after attacking Mega, they ran into our gallant military and police patrol team at Katibu, where they were repelled. 10 of the bandits were killed on the spot.”

The command has however called on the public to report anyone found with gunshot injuries to security agencies as well as any suspicious gathering of unknown people.

“In our commitment to ensure the protection of lives and property in Taraba State, we have resolved to give armed bandits terrorising the people of the state a thorough fight,” he said.
The command also paraded one Michael Gwani who was arrested with a dane gun by the JTF.

Responding to questions from newsmen, Gwani, who claimed to be a member of the vigilante group in his community which recently came under attack by armed bandits, said he has gone to condole a bereaved friend when he was arrested by the task force just as he denied being a part of the people that attacked Mega village.

“I went to condole the family of a friend who was killed in the area when I was arrested. I was carrying my dane gun because of the insecurity in our area and I am the leader of the hunters’

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