By Laleye Dipo
Some bandits who fled from the ongoing military operation in Zamfara State on several motorcycles were on Friday ambushed and neutralised by men of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The exact number of bandits killed could not be immediately ascertained but a source at Maganda village in Shiroro Local Government Area where the incident happened told THISDAY that they are many.
However, it was gathered that one soldier involved in the battle is still missing.
Some of the bandits, who escaped with serious bullets wounds, are still being trailed by the soldiers as the entire forest is being combed in search of the escaped ones, while the villagers have been engaged to assist in evacuating the remains of the neutralised bandits.
It was gathered that six sub-machine guns and a number of AK 47 riffles and bags of ammunitions were recovered from the bandits.
According to a source close to Allawa community, most of the bandits neutralised resembled foreigners, saying: “From the dead bodies that we saw, they are not Nigerians, these are foreigners, all of them are carrying long hair like women.”
One of the co-conveners of the Concerned Shiroro Youth, an organisation monitoring the security situation in the local government area, Alhaji Yussuf Kokki, when contacted on phone, confirmed the story saying: “We heard about it but we don’t have the details.”
Meanwhile, the District Head of Wawa in Borgu Local Government Area, Dr. Mahmud Aliyu, who was abducted by bandits a week ago has regained his freedom.
The District Head was set free by the bandits on Friday evening without payment of any ransom, according to a source close to his palace.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Niger State Police Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the release of the monarch.
