By Sani Muhammad Sani, Gusau
Hauwa Abubakar, ‘wife’ of a suspected bandit who said she was forcefully married by her husband was among victims rescued by troops of Operation Sahel Sanity in Katsina State.
Acting Director Defence Media Operations, Brigadier General Benard Onyeuko revealed this in a statement Thursday.
Hauwa said the bandits whom her husband associate with usually accused her of reporting their activities to security agencies thereby subjecting her to several inhuman abuses.
She was rescued from her husband and has been handed over to the Katsina State Government while the suspect is in army custody for further interrogation.
The same troops who foiled bandit attack in Zamfarawa Katsina state according to Onyeuko also neutralised 1 bandit and arrested a good number of suspected bandits, their logistic suppliers, informants and couriers.
Two of the bandit collaborators Sani Sani and Sani Abubakar were reported to have specialised in selling of bandits stolen cows and other items in Bagega community in Zamfara state. “The two suspected collaborators were arrested while butchering a cow for sale and have since confessed to collecting it from the bandits during interrogation.”
Onyeuko further revealed that another suspected bandit and impostor, Sani Sa’idu, was arrested in full police sergeant uniform, with name tag “James Oname”, by the troops.He noted however that preliminary investigation revealed that the real James Oname was a Police Sergeant killed in 2015 by bandits at Tungar Rakumi in Maru LGA of Zamfara State.
Similarly, the troops arrested 5 suspected bandits in a blue Hyundai car with registration number Katsina 107 BAK.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai has urged the military not to rest on their oars in pursuance of their goals to entrench peace and tranquility in the North West region.
Buratai further assured the people of the North-West zone of the Nigerian Army’s commitment to the safety of lives and properties within the zone.
The troops in addition recovered over 30 rustled cows. All the rustled cows according to the defence information director were successfully handed to their rightful owners.
