- Troops rescued victim, neutralizes bandit in failed kidnap attempt
Police operatives in Rijau Division of Niger State, working alongside local vigilantes, have recovered 50 rounds of anti-aircraft live ammunition believed to have been abandoned by fleeing bandits.
The ammunition was discovered on Saturday during a security sweep of Biyemu forest in the aftermath of a military airstrike launched following a deadly bandit attack on Watari village earlier that week.
According to the Niger state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, the attack on Watari village via Rijau and its environs occurred in the morning when armed bandits invaded the area, rustling an unconfirmed number of cattle.
The attack prompted a swift response from the military, which carried out targeted aerial bombardments across the Sulupawa axis, stretching from Rijau to the neighboring communities of Kumbashi and Kakihum in Mariga Local Government Area.
“The bombardment scattered the bandits and caused significant casualties among their ranks. It was during a follow-up reconnaissance operation that we discovered the anti-aircraft ammunition hidden deep in Biyemu forest,” Abiodun stated.
Security analysts who spoke to our reporter expressed concern over the recovery of the anti-aircraft rounds as they pointed that such high-caliber ammunition is typically used against helicopters or low-flying aircraft and signals the rising sophistication of weapons in the hands of criminal elements.
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“If the bandits had managed to deploy the ammunition which is believed to be compatible with heavy machine guns or improvised anti-aircraft devices, it could have posed a serious threat to aerial patrols and civilian aircraft in the region.
“This recovery is not just about seizing ammunition. It has likely prevented future attacks on military aircraft and stopped the criminals from expanding their tactics. Anti-aircraft rounds in the hands of non-state actors could be catastrophic,” Lawal Mohammed, a security analyst said.
Abiodun stated that In response to the incident, police and vigilante units have intensified surveillance and security patrols in strategic locations, especially around border communities vulnerable to bandit incursions.
In a related development, Troops of operation safe haven OPSH said it has intercepted a kidnap incidence, rescued the victim, neutralized one of the bandits and recovered arms in Plateau state.
A statement by Major Samson Zhakom Media Information Officer of the OPSH noted that as part of efforts to flush out criminal elements from own Joint Operations Area, on Wednesday, troops of 3 Division/Operation SAFE HAVEN conducting the ongoing Operation LAFIYAN JAMA’A laid ambush at the crossing points of bandits along Kampani Zurak-Sabon Gari road in Wase Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State
Major Zhakom said: “The operation was based on credible information about the movement of bandits who kidnapped a resident. During the operation, troops made contact with the criminals conveying their victim on a motorcycle, and neutralised one of the criminals while others abandoned the victim and fled into the surrounding bushes. Consequently, troops rescued the 45-year-old victim identified as Mr Adamu Alhaji Nuhu and recovered one fabricated pistol, one pistol magazine, 4 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, one Boxer motorcycle, and other sundry items abandoned by the criminals.”