Troops of the 12 Brigade Nigerian Army overran a bandits’ camp in Kogi State and rescued two kidnap victims, the military said.
The operation followed intelligence about injured bandits linked to criminal leaders, according to a military operational report given to journalists on Saturday. The forces moved on bandits who had been operating around the Niger-Kwara-Kogi axis.
Supported by a police helicopter, troops intercepted fleeing bandits heading toward the Niger and Kwara borders. They also struck a camp belonging to a bandit leader, Kachallah Babangida, and cleared an illegal mining site that reportedly funded the criminals.
“Several fleeing bandits moving with more than 30 rustled cattle were engaged during the operation,” the report stated.
Troops then ran cordon-and-search operations in the Owara community and pushed on to Aleke village, suspected as a hideout. “Four motorcycles abandoned by the criminals were recovered, while one suspected bandit was arrested,” it added. The arrested suspect was named as Ado Ibrahim.
The military said abandoned farm settlements used by bandits around Aleke were destroyed. Two kidnap victims, Yahuza Sani and Tanimola Temidayo, escaped during an air interdiction of a bandit camp and later linked up with troops at a patrol base in Obajana. They were evacuated for medical attention.
The report said operations would continue to keep pressure on criminal elements and restore security in the affected communities. (NAN)
