Troops of the 223 Light Tank Battalion, Gusau, Zamfara State, have killed 15 bandits in two operations in the state, the Commanding Officer of the battalion, Lt. Col. Abdullahi Adamu, said.
Adamu, who spoke in Gusau on Wednesday, said the operations were carried out between September 7 and 10.
He said an early morning raid was launched on a suspected bandits’ hideout in Dumburum forest in Zurmi Local Government Area during which seven bandits were killed, while many others escaped with bullet wounds.
The commanding officer said one round of 2.7mm calibre ammunition and a pair of army desert camouflage uniform were recovered from the camp of the fleeing bandits.
He said the troops then invaded Bagega area in Anka Local Government Area, but that the hoodlums had already fled before their arrival.
Nevertheless, Adamu said the soldiers destroyed the camp along with one motorcycle which was abandoned by the criminals.
Similarly, he said the troops raided another bandits’ camp at Gando forest near Baruba village in Bukkuyum Local Government Area where eight bandits were killed, others fled with bullet wounds, while the camp was completely burnt.
He said all existing camps and the bandits’ means of transportation were being destroyed by the Soldiers, while clearance patrol was ongoing across the forests in order to apprehend the fleeing bandits.
The commanding officer said all the operations were being supported by the Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), local vigilante groups and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
He appealed to all communities in the state to continue to give useful information to security agencies in order to rid the state of of criminals.
Meanwhile, Maj.-Gen Kasimu AbdulKarim, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division, Ibadan, says the Nigerian Army has totally decimated the activities of Boko Haram insurgents in the country.
AbdulKarim disclosed this on Tuesday during an interactive session with newsmen at the Tiger’s Den, Adekunle Fajuyi Cantonment, Ibadan.
“If you look at what has been happening before now and make a comparison yourself, you will know that the Armed forces are in charge.
“We have not been having incessant attacks on either hard or soft targets,” he said.
AbdulKarim said that the division would continue to provide adequate security within the western region of the country.
According to him, “this division has not actually had so much security challenges as compared to other areas.
“The western region is the most peaceful in the country and we will uphold it,” he said.
He said the division had been able to deal decisively with issues of kidnapping, robbery, cultism and herdsmen clashes.
“Some of the suspected Boko Haram members arrested within our division have been handed over to the police for prosecution,” he said.
