Troops Kill Several Armed Bandits in Zamfara

• Set camps ablaze, free captives NAF fighter jet destroys Boko Haram hideout in Borno

Senator Iroegbu in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna

The military said it had killed several armed bandits in Zamfara State, destroyed their camps, and set free many of their captives in its on-going Operation Sharan Daji. The Force Information Officer, Operation Sharam Daji, Col. Muhammad Dole, said in a statement yesterday that troops conducted several raids and ambush operations in major identified camps and routes in Maradun, Tsafe and Zurmi local government areas of the state.

In a related development, the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation Lafiya Dole, the military operation against Boko Haram terrorists in the North-east, said they conducted a successful attack on a Boko Haram hideout in Daban Masara, Borno State. Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI), Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, disclosed this in a statement yesterday. Daramola said the surgical air strikes on August 3 were conducted on the strength of credible intelligence, which indicated that remnants of Boko Hatam on the Lake Chad Islands were hiding in settlements at the southern part of the lake.

Dole said during a recent clearance operation along Mashema, Kwadi, kalage, Gambiru and Kagara axis, heavy fight ensued between troops and bandits. He noted that due to overwhelming military fire power, a reasonable number of bandits were neutralised and their camps were set ablaze. He said the successful feat had brought about relative peace and spurred massive returns of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their villages in Zurmi local government.

According to Dole, “Likewise, during another encounter at Daban-Doka village near Dansadau, Zamfara State, troops laid ambush along bandits’ identified routes where 20 bandits were neutralised.

“Some bandits escaped with gunshot wounds and several motorcycles were burnt. In one of the troops’ encounter with the bandits, two notorious bandits, Bello Danboko and Sani Maza, were eliminated in Yanwari ward near Yankuzo and Mai Tukunya village near Dansadau all in Zamfara State.

“In another development, the troops commenced aggressive day and night fighting patrols around Kyaranke and Giwabawa villages in Kanoma District of Maru LGA, following a tipoff on imposition of One Million Naira (N1m) levy each on the two villages. Another tipoff led to the rescue and recovery of kidnapped victims and the sum of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500, 000.00) ransom from kidnappers in Subulu forest.”

Dole also said the troops in their recent exploits apprehended two notorious bandits, who were known for terrorising Maradun town and its environs. He named the suspects as Muhammad Aminu and another one popularly called Yellow at Tashan Udda in Maradun local government.

According to him, the bandits are undergoing interrogation with some weapons, ammunitions, motorcycles, phones and herds of cows recovered.

Dole said Force Commander, Operation Shatam Daji, Maj-Gen. Mohammed Mohammed, assured the law abiding citizens that the troops were poised to ensure quick restoration of peace and safety in all the vulnerable areas in Kaduna and Zamfara states. He also urged the populace to continue to give credible information to the security agencies for the success of the operation. General Mohammed said the recent successes recorded were as a result of collaborative efforts between the troops and the locals.

Meanwhile, Daramola said the Boko Haram hideout, including Daban Masara, was where the terrorists were amassing in some buildings for a meeting.

According to him, an air interdiction mission was planned and executed to destroy two out of the green roofed buildings within Daban Masara that were identified as Boko Haram meeting points. He said on receiving the intelligence, the ATF dispatched a NAF Alpha Jet aircraft, along with an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform, to attack the two buildings where the BHTs were gathered with bombs.

The DOPRi said overhead the area of interest the Alpha Jet successfully released its bombs on the targets in successive strikes, leading to massive destruction of the target buildings as well as the neutralisation of several Boko Haram terrorists.