Troops of 1 Division have killed three bandits along Sabon Birni, Dogondawa-Kuyelo and Farin Ruwa area of Kaduna State.
The Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying the bandits were neutralised during an operation on Saturday.
Although Nwachukwu could not confirm the total number of bandits that ran into the troops, he, however, stated that the development is in the army’s renewed efforts to wipe out banditry and terrorism in the north-western region.
Items recovered from the criminals include two AK 47 rifles, nine magazines, seven Baofeng communication radios, one Tecno mobile phone, 120 rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition, one power generator and a motorcycle.
“The dogged and highly motivated troops, while on a fighting patrol, came in contact with an unconfirmed number of bandits,” the statement read.
“The troops in the ensuing shoot out, eliminated 3 of the terrorists and recovered two AK 47 rifles, nine magazines, seven Baofeng communication radios, one Tecno mobile phone, 120 rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition, one power generator and a motorcycle.
Reacting, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya commended the troops for their gallantry and urged them not to relent until banditry is eradicated in the region.
Similarly, the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Maj Gen Taoreed Lagbaja asked all law-abiding citizens to continue to support the troops and other security agencies with credible and actionable information.
The information, Lagbaja stated, would assist the troops in their operations against the criminal elements.
Kaduna is one of the states worst hit by banditry who have unleashed several attacks, killing people while kidnapping several others.
