By Chimezie Godfrey
Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke have neutralized a bandit, recovered arms and arrested two other bandits at different locations in Benue State.
Maj Gen. John Enenche, the Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Defence Headquarters Abuja, revealed this on Monday.
He said,”On 21 December 2020, acting on credible intelligence, own troops deployed at Karu Village responded to report on the presence of some armed bandits, who had been linked to a recent killing of a Makurdi based lawyer and his wife, operating around Anguwa-Onmbaagbu general area in Benue State.
“Troops swiftly mobilized to the identified location where they had contact and engaged the criminals in fire fight.
“During the encounter, troops overwhelmed the bandits and killed one of them, while others flee with various degrees of gunshot wounds.
“Troops recovered an AK-47 rifle and a magazine loaded with 4 rounds of 7.62mm Special Ammunition from the criminal elements.”
Enenche also disclosed that on the same day, following an intelligence report on activities of remnants of the late Gana’s militia gangs in parts of Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, troops deployed in Benue and Taraba States carried out raid operation on the identified hideout of the bandits at Abako Village.
According to him, while conducting a thorough combing of the hideout, troops arrested 2 of the bandits with their arms.
He said the arrested bandits have been handed over to the appropriate prosecuting agency for further action.