By Francis Sardauna
In a bid to completely eliminate banditry in the North-west region, troops of Operation Sahel Sanity have destroyed 12 notorious bandits’ camps and killed three in Yobe Baranda community, Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The acting Director, Defence Media and Operations, Brig. General Benard Onyeuko, stated this on Monday while briefing journalists at the Special Army Super Camp IV in Faskari Local Government Area of the state.
He said Nigerian soldiers during the combined special clearance operation in the area, left many bandits with varying degrees of injuries.
He said: “On 12 August 2020, in a combined special clearance operation, troops destroyed 12 bandit camps at Yobe Baranda in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State, 3 bandits were neutralized in the process while others escaped with various degrees of gunshot wounds.”
He added that the troops also smashed a notorious arms smuggling Nigerien syndicate who specialized in supplying arms to marauding bandits in the North-west region of the country.
The trio, Alhaji Adamu Alhassan, Salisu Adamu and Abdullahi Sani, were nabbed by the troops at Dantudu village in Mailailai District of Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
He said the notorious Nigerien gunrunners were arrested with six AK-47 rifles, three AK-47 rifle magazines and 2,415 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition deceptively concealed in various parts of their vehicle.
He explained that preliminary investigation by the army revealed that the dangerous consignments were meant for some bandits terrorizing communities in Isah Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
He said: “However, one of the arrested arms supplier, Alhaji Adamu Alhassan, who is diabetic and hypertensive, experienced seizure and gave up the ghost while he was being rushed to the hospital.
“Nevertheless, investigation of the other two accomplices continues in order to track and arrest all those in the chain of the heinous activity in collaboration with other intelligence and security agencies from our neighboring countries.”
He therefore urged residents of the North-west zone to provide timely information that would enable the troops to flush out the recalcitrant bandits.
