Troops Neutralise Three Bandits in Kaduna, Rescue 16 Victims

John Shiklam in Kaduna

Troops of the Operation Forest Sanity have neutralised three bandits and rescued 16 abducted victims of the criminals.

The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said in a statement yesterday that the rescue followed operations by the troops, spanning Birnin Gwari-Kaduna Road and some parts of Igabi Local Government Area of the state.

The commissioner said the troops, while responding to a distress call from Udawa-Manini axis of the Birnin Gwari-Kaduna Road, succeeded in rescuing 15 kidnapped victims.

He added that some of the victims who sustained injuries were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Aruwan said the troops also responded to another distress call from Gonan Doctor village, Igabi LGA, and laid ambush at a likely crossing point in Maraban Huda village, leading to the killing of one bandit, while a kidnapped victim injured by the bandits was taken to the Jaji Cantonment Hospital for treatment. The statement said further that “in response to credible intelligence on the bandits’ movement around an interstate boundary area, troops of Operation Forest Sanity set up ambush positions around Mangoro general area around Chikun-Birnin Gwari LGA on the boundary with Shiroro LGA of neighboring Niger State. The troops engaged the approaching bandits and neutralised two.

“The troops also recovered one AK-47 rifle, one pump action gun, one Improvised Explosive Device, one Baofeng Radio, and 10 motorcycles.”

The commissioner said the state Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, received the reports with gratitude, and expressed satisfaction at the breakthroughs recorded by the security forces.

“The governor commended the troops for the successful rescues, and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured victims,” the statement added.