Katsina is the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has announced that its troops on Operation Hadarin Daji in the Northern region of the country arrested five foreign terrorists at Jibia in the Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Katsina is the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General, Benard Onyeuko, disclosed this on Thursday at Defence Headquarters during a media briefing on the operational activities of the Armed Forces and other security agencies from the various operational theatres in the six geopolitical zones of the country.
According to Major Onyeuko, the troops have continued to sustain operational activities in the North to clear bandits and terrorists’ enclaves.
He explained that the five suspected foreign bandits who namely Muritala Wada, Saminu Sani, Shamisu Adamu, Salisu Saadu and Usman Ibrahim were arrested on July 25 by troops on routine patrol in Jibia.
Onyeuko said, "Between 31 July and 2 August 2022, troops arrested one Mallam Yahaya, a notorious bandit informant who has been on the tracking list of the Department of State Security for collaborating with bandits on the numerous attacks in Sabon Brini general area of Sokoto State.
"Troops recovered 161 cattle, 8 camels, large consignment of clothing from terrorists after an encounter in Zango in Shinkafi Local Government Area.
"In another operation in Air Component of Operation HADARIN DAJI on 6 August 2022 carried out successful strikes on key terrorists’ enclave and hideout located at Rudu forest in Katsina State.
"The air interdiction led to the neutralization of a high profiled terrorist leader who has been on the wanted list of the military named Alhaji Abdulkareem Lawal (aka Abdulkareem Boss) and his foot soldiers."
But he said that credible intelligence report has revealed that Abdulkareem Lawal was responsible for several attacks, animal rustling and kidnapping and was also known to regularly invite terrorist groups from other areas and regions to join his gang and attack his targets.
Major Onyeuko further explained that report received from the locals in the terrorized areas indicated that the terrorists’ leaders were killed alongside 27 of foot soldiers, while items and arrested bandits were handed over to the relevant authority for further action.
In a similar development, Major Onyeuko said that troops of Operation Delta Safe in their sustained offensive posture to deny criminal’s the much-needed space for their illegal operation in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states in the South South region of the country, discovered and destroyed several illegal oil refining sites.
"These include 3,768 dugout pits, 188 storage tanks, 33 wooden boats, 16 pumping machines, 1 generator, 1 vehicle, 175 cooking ovens and 23 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.
"Also recovered was 3,750,000 liters of crude oil and 2,019,000 liters of Automotive Gas Oil, while 10 suspected pipeline vandals were arrested.
"Additionally, troops arrested 2 high profile sea pirates known as Fagha Golden (aka) fine boy at Nonwa village in Tai Local Government Area and Victor Elkanah (aka) Victor Padi at Pharzy Spring Diagnostic and Wellness Hospital, One-Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State,” he said.
According to him, the suspects are notorious for the series of armed attacks on oil vessels, kidnapping of expatriates and illegal oil bunkering within the states.