Sola Ojo, Kaduna 

The Kaduna State Police Command yesterday said it killed about 350 bandits during an operation codenamed, Taking the battle to the bandits camps, in troubled Birni Gwari and Giwa local government areas of Kaduna 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 of naira.

The command said it also lost two officers, Inspector Mohammad Abubakar and Sargeant Aminu Idris, during the operation.

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

The police boss said: “The Command, with the Force Headquarters Abuja, had on February 5, 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 250 bandits neutralized while 10 identified bandits camps were also destroyed at Kuduru and Kwanar during the operations.

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“However, two of our gallant men (Insp. Mohammad Abubakar and Sgt. Aminu Idris) paid the supreme price while 13 other officers sustained varying degrees of injuries during the operation.

“Similarly, on February 21, another operation of ‘Taking the battle to the bandits’ camps’ was carried out this time with the Nigerian Airforce components, where about 40 armed bandits were neutralized and four 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 March 17, carried out yet another operation of Taking the battle to the bandits’ camps with the Nigerian Airforce components, where about 60 armed bandits were neutralized and six 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.

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

“During the investigation, a number of recoveries have been made, which includes 15 AK-47 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.

“Twenty motor vehicles of different models and descriptions, nine motorcycles of different models, three tricycles, 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.”