Over 50 Armed Bandits Killed by Airstrike, Ground Troops in Kaduna

• Over 50 armed bandits have been killed in an operation carried out by the Nigerian military in Kaduna state
• The operation was well executed by a combined operation by the Nigerian Air Force and the Nigerian Army
• An excited Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai encouraged the military to keep up the good work

Kaduna - Over 50 bandits have been reportedly killed by a combined ground and air assault by the Nigerian military in Birnin Gwari local government area of Kaduna state.

This information was revealed in a statement sent to Legit.ng by the Kaduna state commissioner for internal security and home affairs, Samuel Aruwan.

According to the statement, a Nigerian Air Force helicopter gunship provided close air support to ground troops advancing from the Dogon Dawa-Damari-Saulawa axis.

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The statement added:

“Following extensive scans, bandits were spotted on five motorcycles, about 4km east of Saulawa, waiting to ambush the ground forces. They were engaged vigorously by the helicopter gunship and were wiped out.

“After this, armed bandits on about 50 motorcycles were sighted fleeing towards Farin Ruwa, and were struck effectively by the gunship. Fleeing remnants were mopped up by ground forces.

“A second helicopter gunship joined the operations, and many more fleeing bandits were neutralized by precise strikes. An assessment revealed that more than 50 bandits were neutralized during the joint operation.”

He said Governor Nasir El-Rufai congratulated the ground troops and gunship crews on the operation.

Meanwhile, a security consultant, Richard Amange who spoke to Legit.ng on the ongoing clampdown on bandits in the northwest of the country, advised the Nigerian military to carry out operations in the states at once.

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Amange said:

“What is currently happening is that when the bandits are bombarded in one state, they move to the neighbouring state to cause havoc there until they are dislodged and the cycle continues.

“It is important that the military re-strategise and carry out these operations across the northwest region at a go in order to completely flush out the bandits from the region, and if possible elsewhere.”

How soldiers killed over 40 bandits in Kaduna, Sokoto recently

Recall that Brigadier-General Benard Onyeuko, Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, on Thursday, October 14 disclosed that Nigerian troops carried out operations in forests within Sokoto and Kaduna states killing over 40 bandits in the process.

He spoke at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, while giving updates to journalists on the activities of troops across all theatres of operations between Friday, October 1, and Wednesday, October 13.

He also revealed how several structures which served as bandits’ logistics bases were destroyed.

Source: Legit.ng