The troops reportedly recovered a motorcycle, weapons and cash from the bandits.
Troops of Operation Forest Sanity under 1 Division Nigerian Army have killed a bandit leader identified as Isiya Danwasa and his men in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The troops reportedly recovered a motorcycle, weapons and cash from the bandits.
Before he was killed, Danwasa was said to be responsible for several killings, kidnappings and cattle rustling operations across the state.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Tuesday, the Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations 1 Division Nigerian Army, Lieutenant Colonel, Musa Yahaya, said the troops, acting on a tip-off from an intelligence source, ambushed and killed the bandits and recovered one motorcycle, two AK-47 rifles, six AK-47 magazines, 250 rounds of 7.62mm special, one power bank, two charm vest and the sum of N200,000.
“This was following an Intelligence which revealed that the bandit leader intended to send his errand boy Yunusa to purchase some arms and ammunition in Kaduna town.
“Subsequently, the errand boy was trailed and picked up by plain cloth soldiers and later used to lure two of the bandits' leaders to a selected ammunition collection point. Upon their arrival, troops who had laid an ambush engaged the criminals with superior firepower and neutralised the two bandit leaders.
“The General Officer Commanding 1 Division Nigerian Army and Force Commander Joint Task Force Operation Whirl Punch Major General Taoreed Lagbaja has commended the troops for their professional conduct and perfect execution of task.
“He further charged the troops to go after all bandits and show them no mercy. Again, the GOC appealed to the general public to continue to avail the troops and other security agencies with credible and actionable information so as to bring banditry, kidnapping and other crimes to a lasting end,” the statement read.
Reacting to Danwasa’s killing, the state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in a terse statement issued through the internal security and home affairs commissioner, Samuel Aruwan, commended the troops for the “diligent intelligence work and precise execution which led to the demise of Danwasa and his associate.”
The governor further appealed to members of the public to continue to volunteer information to security forces to help in combating insecurity in the state.