Laleye Dipo
A police Inspector and a Sergeant were at the weekend killed by bandits in Kundu town in the Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State during a gun battle with the police special unit, Operation Puff Adder, where 10 suspected bandits were also killed and several others injured.
The incident, according to a report, occurred last Saturday when the bandits invaded the camp of the Special Task Force.
The injured bandits, according to the report, escaped into the bush while one of those killed was suspected to be a female bandit.
The criminals, said to be about 100 in number, and reportedly rode on 30 motorcycles, used a maize farm as cover to launch the attack on the police camp.
It was gathered that the casualty on the part of the security team would have been heavier but for intelligence which put them on alert.
An eyewitness said the shootout between the security team and the bandits lasted for almost three hours with the policemen having the upper hand.
While the battle lasted, it was gathered that some of the bandits were moving the remains of their fallen colleagues as others engaged the security men in the shootout.
Meanwhile, the state Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, yesterday, accompanied by heads of security agencies in the state, visited the scene of the attack, where he assured the security agents of government supports in the fight against banditry in the state.
The governor commended the “resilience and braveness” of men of the Operation Puff Adder in repelling the attack on the village, disclosing that the state government has ordered for some equipment that will make the fight against those he described as “criminal elements” easier.
A statement issued by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mary Noel Berje, and made available to journalists yesterday, quoted the governor as saying: “We have ordered for some equipment that will reduce casualties on the side of our security agents and make the fight against these criminals easier. Very soon these pieces of equipment will arrive.”
