Sola Ojo, Kaduna
Troops from The Nigerian Navy School of Armament Technology, Kachia, Kaduna State on Tuesday paraded five bandits suspected to be cattle rustlers.
The Command also displayed 267 cows and 51 sheep recovered from the five suspects when responding to a distress call on Saturday, October 26.
Handing over the animals to the Kaduna State Government in line with the mandate of the local security called Operation Yaki at the school located at Km 15, along Kachia road, the Commandant, Commodore Tanko Yakubu Pani, noted that cattle rustling and other criminal activities, including kidnapping and banditry, are not new in the area, but that his Command would intensify efforts to make the area safer.
According to him, “following a distress call about the presence of invading cattle rustlers in Kujama forest, on October 26, we deployed troops to carry out hot pursuit of the criminals.
“Fortunately, the troop intercepted and recovered 267 cows and arrested five cattle rustlers, while others escaped into the bush.
“We have been able to restore sanity in a few months since my assumption of the Command as Commandant as attested to by the communities and motorists plying Kachia – Kaduna and Kachia – Jere roads. This is an isolated case and we will be doing our best to consolidate on current successes without compromise.
“Criminals should know there is no room for them here. We shall continue to locate criminal hideouts and smoke them out.”
The Commandant further appealled to the community to provide credible intelligence to enable the Command respond timely and appropriately to any unrest in the area, just as he promised continuous synergy with allied security authorities to protect Nigeria’s territorial integrity.
Receiving the livestock on behalf of the State Government, the chairman of Kachia Local Council, Mr Peter Agite, appreciated the Command for keeping the area safe.
He then called on locals whose animals have been stolen recently to come to the Command with concrete proof of ownership to reclaim them.