Troops of 21 and 26 Brigades of Nigerian Army supported by the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) have neutralised 81 terrorists in five villages of Sambisa Forest.
Confirming the military operations yesterday in Maiduguri, Madu Bukar, a Civilian JTF leader assisting the army to fight terrorists disclosed: “Our troops inside the forest this month encountered stiff resistance from the terrorists, who planted Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) along the troops’ advance routes.
“We destroyed terrorists’ camps and recovered their gun trucks and other weapons, while they were fleeing the cleared villages.”
He, however, noted that one of the soldiers paid the supreme sacrifice and four wounded by explosives. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, applauded the troops and urged them to sustain the military operations. While paying tribute to fallen heroes, he said: “You’re to honour the memory by dealing with the terrorists ruthlessly.”
Meanwhile, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State and Senator Istifanus Gyang (Plateau North) have condemned the killings in parts of the state, as four were killed recently.
Frowning on the recurring killings in some villages of Bassa Council, the governor directed security agencies to do everything possible to stop the ugly situation.
The governor, in a statement yesterday by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr. Makut Simon Macham, directed the Peace Building Agency to visit the area and get to the root of the killings, saying that the situation must be brought under control to prevent further degeneration.
On his part, Gyang said he was grieved by the attacks on Rikwechongu and Zirshe villages of Irigwe Chiefdom in Bassa between Sunday night and yesterday morning by killer herdsmen, resulting in the death of four young men, burning of houses and food barns.
The Plateau State Police Command Spokesman, ASP Ubah Ogaba, could not be reached for reaction. The Adamawa State Police command has arrested 40 suspected kidnappers and cattle rustlers in the state.
Briefing journalists yesterday in Yola North, the Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Adamu, who paraded the suspects, said that eight AK-47 rifles, 272 live ammunition, one vehicle and N1.13 million were recovered from the gang. He said the operation was carried out in collaboration with professional hunters in villages of Fufore, Mayo Belwa, Song and Mubi councils.
“In an effort to reclaim the public space and strengthen operational strategies, the command and other security agencies were deployed to trace, apprehend and prosecute those miscreants.
Aliyu pointed out that lack of laws in the state for prosecution of kidnappers was affecting the operations of the command. He assured residents that under his leadership, there would be no hiding place for criminals in Adamawa State.
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