By SOLA OJO, Kaduna

The Kaduna State police command on Wednesday said it killed about 350 bandits during the operation codenamed “Taking the Battle to the Bandits Camps,” in troubled Birni Gwari and Giwa local government areas of the state.

Bandits had on several occasions earlier in the year, launched coordinated attacks on some villages in the two local government areas killing several people and burning property worth millions, a development that triggered conversation from within and outside the state.

During the operations, the command said it also lost two of its men, Insp. Mohammad Abubakar and Sgt. Aminu Idris in action.

Parading some of the suspected criminals at the command’s headquarters in Kaduna, the Commissioner of Police for the command, Umar Musa Muri, also disclosed that, 956 persons were arrested for flouting stay-at-home order aimed at curbing the spread of ravaging COVID-19 in the state.

The police boss specifically said “the command, with the Force Headquarters Abuja, had on the 5th of February, 2020 launched a well-coordinated operation code-named “Taking the Battle to the Bandits Camps,” where several identified notorious bandits camps within Birnin Gwari and Giwa axis were successfully destroyed.

“About two hundred and fifty (250) bandits were neutralised while ten (10) identified bandits camps were also destroyed at Kuduru, Kwanar Dangerous, etc during the operations.

“However, two (2) of our gallant men (Insp. Mohammad Abubakar and Sgt. Aminu Idris) paid the supreme price. (May their souls rest in perfect peace), while thirteen (13) other officers sustained varying degrees of injuries during the operation.

“Similarly, on the 21st of February, 2020 another operation of ‘Taking the Battle to the Bandits’ Camps’ was carried out this time with the Nigerian Airforce components, where about forty (40) armed bandits were neutralised and four (4) of their camps were destroyed around Maidaro, Ingale and Kara all under Giwa LGA of Kaduna State.

“In the continuous fight against bandits and banditry in Kaduna State, the command had on 17th March 2020 carried out yet another operation of ‘Taking the Battle to the Bandits’ Camps with the Nigerian Airforce components, where about sixty (60) armed bandits were neutralised and six (6) of their camps successfully destroyed at Yadi and Walawa areas. The notorious criminal camps raided include Maidaro, Ingade, Kara, Bula, Yadi, Rafin Kyauro and Makarfi respectively.

“The gallant determination of our personnel has yielded some successes with the apprehension of ninety-one (91) suspects for various crimes which include banditry, armed robbery, kidnapping, culpable homicide, rape, shop breaking, theft and other mundane crimes,” he revealed.

He continued, “during the investigation, a number of recoveries have been made which include: 15 AK47 rifles, 10 English-made pistols, 10 locally-made guns, One pump action rifle, one locally-made revolver pistol, One G3 gun,1,575 live ammunition, 28 live cartridges, 21 rounds of G3 ammunition.”

He said “20 motor vehicles of different models and descriptions, nine motorcycles of different models, three tri-cycles, 246 cows, 60 sheep, 20 bags of rice, six bags of beans, 71 pieces of cutlasses/knives/swords/ scissors, 12 mobile cellphones, one anti-tracking device, ten TV/DVD sets, 16 laptops/IPADS, 14 Italian handbags, two iron rods and eight bags of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp,” were recovered.

Speaking on the lockdown, the CP said, with a view to curbing the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the state, the command had arrested 986 violators across the state including 48 suspects who were mostly religious leaders and beer parlour operators and had been charged to court for prosecution.

To sustain the tempo, CP Muri enjoined the good people of Kaduna State to keep supporting the command with prompt and useful information that would aid the relentless battle against criminal elements. (Daily Sun)

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