At least one hundred armed bandits have been killed in various parts of the north-west Nigeria by troops of Operation Sahel Sanity in the last two months, the Nigerian military has said.
The Acting Director of Defence Media Operations, Brigadier General Benard Onyeuko, disclosed this on Saturday at a press briefing in Katsina State.
He explained that the operation was aimed at supporting Operation Hadarin Daji to curb the activities of armed bandits, cattle rustlers, kidnappers, and other criminals in the region.
Onyeuko revealed that during the series of search and rescue operations conducted between July 1 and September 4, troops rescued 107 kidnapped victims.
He added that the soldiers arrested 148 suspected bandits and 315 illegal armed miners, as well as nabbed 20 bandits’ informants and collaborators, six arms suppliers, 13 rustled cattle marketers, and 32 bandits’ logistics suppliers.
The military spokesman noted that 3,984 rustled cows, 1,627 sheep and rams, and three camels were recovered.
He said a large cache of arms and ammunition were recovered, including 43 AK47 rifles, one GPMG, and 100 Dane guns, among other weapons.
According to him, 81 bandits’ camps, including the notorious Dangote Triangle and their logistics bases were destroyed by troops, while 74 bandit attacks and 54 kidnap incidents were foiled withing the period under review.
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