Nigerian soldiers on Wednesday carried out a raid of armed bandits and kidnappers’ hideouts in Zamfara and Kaduna states during which four cattle rustlers were killed, an official said.
The troops, deployed under the ‘Operation Sharan Daji’ a special military campaign aimed at dislodging all camps and hideouts of armed criminals, also arrested three suspected kidnappers at some bushy
locations in Kaduna State.
The spokesman of the Nigeria Army, Sani Usman, made this known in a
statement issued to media houses.
Mr. Usman, a colonel and acting director army public relations, said the operations were carried out by “troops of 1 Division Nigerian Army deployed on Operation SHARAN DAJI”.
He said the operation that was carried out on October 18 was a “raid on livestock rustlers and armed bandits’ camp at Barikin Daji forest
near Masafa village in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State.”
“During the operation, the troops killed 4 bandits, recovered a motorcycle and destroyed all the camps at the forest”, he said.
“Similarly troops of the same formation, in conjunction with local
vigilante also carried out similar operation at the notorious livestock, armed bandits and kidnappers’ hideout in Anchau forest, Kubau Local Government Area, Kaduna State same day.
“During the operation, 3 kidnappers, Umaru Buje, Sanusi Shuaibu and Samaila Ibrahim were arrested by the
troops.
“The arrested persons are currently being interrogated,” Mr. Usman said.
In the past one year, kidnapping and cattle rustling have become another major security threat, aside Boko Haram insurgency, which the Nigeria Army has been tackling.
Nearly a hundred kidnappers and cattle rustlers were either killed in shootouts or arrested by soldiers. And over a thousand cows rustled from herdsmen were recovered.
Fulani herdsmen, who have been accused of attacking communities using assault rifles, have complained that they sometimes resort to arms to defend themselves because cattle rustlers use guns to attack them and steal their livestock.
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