Troops have killed 21 suspected armed bandits that have been terrorising residents of some communities in Zamfara State, North-west Nigeria.

The acting Force Information Officer of Operation Sharan Daji of the Nigerian Army, Major Clement Abiade, confirmed this in a statement on Tuesday.

He said the bandits were killed during a gun battle with soldiers at their hideouts in Bukkuyum Local Government Area of the state.

Major Abiade added that 17 of the bandits were captured alive, while the troops also destroyed some of their camps and rescued 89 kidnapped victims in their custody.

He disclosed further that troops operating in Katsina State also recovered several guns and ammunition from armed bandits, as well as arrested some suspects at Safana, Runka, Kukan Sama communities in the state.

Abiade assured the residents of Zamfara of the commitment of the troops to rid the state of all forms of banditry and criminality in line with its mandate.

He also urged them to cooperate with the troops and provide the security agencies with useful and timely information about the activities of bandits within their domain.

Major Abiade said the troops were conducting operations into bandits’ enclaves in Zamfara and Katsina states, in line with the mandate of Operation Sharan Daji.

According to him, the operation is being conducted simultaneously in collaboration with personnel of other security agencies and local vigilantes.

He explained that the current offensive was designed to identify and destroy bandits’ camps and enclaves in the area of operation.

•Sourced from a Channels TV report

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