Nigerian Troops kill 2 armed bandits, recover 1, 271 animals

Troops of 1 Division, Nigerian Army, have killed two armed bandits in Kaduna and Zamfara axis and arrested four suspects in connection with cattle rustling and impersonation.

Col. Sani Usman, acting Director, Army Public Relations, said in a statement on Monday that the bandits were killed during operations by the troops to clear cattle rustlers and armed bandit camps.

Usman said the troops recovered a revolver pistol and six locally fabricated 9mm rounds of ammunition from one of the dead bandits.

He also said that troops in Zamfara cleared two armed bandits’ camps, recovered 209 cows, 1, 062 goats and sheep at Dumburum forest general area of Zurmi Local Government Area of the state.

According to him, the suspects were arrested in Mararabar Jos, Igabi and Kubau Local Government Areas of Kaduna and along the road that linked Kaduna and Katsina States through Birnin Gwari-Funtua.

Usman said two of the suspects had paraded themselves as members of a non-existent vigilante group harassing and extorting money from unsuspecting members.

He gave their names as Hamza Hare and Sani Abdul-Aziz, adding that they posed as liaison officers to security officers duping people.

Usman said the other suspect, a “notorious armed bandits’’ had terrorised the public, especially along the road that linked Kaduna and Katsina states through Birnin Gwari-Funtua.

Usman said the suspect, simply known as Mohammed and popularly called “Abedariwa’’ had confessed to the crime and gave graphic details of his deadly acts.

“He promised to cooperate fully with the military to fish out other criminal elements in the society,’’ the army spokesman said.