The Nigeria Police Force said it has killed 104 bandits during an attack on Mahanga Forest in Birnin Mogaji Local Government Area, Zamfara State.
The Police also said it destroyed 50 hideouts located in three camps and also recovered 500 cattle and 79 sheep during the attack.
The attack on the bandits led to the death of a policeman whose name and rank was not disclosed.
To boost the success recorded by the team, the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has also deployed the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations, DIG Habila Joshak, to Zamfara to lead the team.
Giving an update on the success recorded in the attack, the Force Spokesman, Ag. DCP Jimoh Moshood, in a statement in Abuja yesterday, said: “The Police Joint Operation Team at about 1600hrs, 29th November, 2018, repelled ambush attacks from Armed Bandits at Mahanga forest in Birnin Mogaji LGA of Zamfara State and in the process killed 104 bandits, destroyed over 50 bandits hideouts in three camps, recovered over 500 Cattle and 79 sheep from the bandits, but unfortunately lost a policeman during the attacks.”
On the successes recorded since the deployment of the team in the last three weeks, the police said: “The Inspector General of Police on 9th November, 2018, deployed Police Joint Intervention Team of about 1000 police personnel comprising the Seven Units of Police Mobile Force (PMF) headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Police Anti-Bomb (EOD) Squad, and conventional policemen, to Zamfara State to rout-out, arrest and prosecute armed bandits, vicious kidnap for ransom and cattle rustling gangs operating in some parts of the State.
“The team has recorded significant progress in the arrest of more than 85 suspects, recovered 27 AK47 Rifles and 52 locally fabricated rifles and other dangerous weapons, 269 cattle, 109 sheep already handed over to their owners.”
On the deployment of more personnel, he said: “Consequent on the ambush attacks on the Police Joint Team which were successfully repelled by the Police Team, the Inspector General of Police yesterday, 29th November, 2018 deployed DIG Department of Operations to Zamfara State to be the overall commander of the Police Joint Intervention Force and add new impetus to the Operations.
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“DIG has already arrived in Zamfara State overnight with hundreds of Police Special Forces Personnel, Counter Terrorism Units (CTU), additional Police Mobile Force (PMF), Federal SARS Personnel, three Surveillance Patrol Helicopters and crew members to Zamfara State to coordinate the operation to completely rout-out all armed bandits from Zamfara and other contiguous states.”
Moshood said the DIG and the Police Joint Team were mandated to coordinate the Commissioner of Police, Zamfara State and personnel of the Command to sustain and restore lasting peace throughout Zamfara State.
The Police, while stating that normalcy and peace has been restored to the affected areas, also promised to parade some of the suspects arrested before the media and public soon.
The Police also urged members of the public with any information or in distress in any part of Zamfara State to call the Police Joint Intervention Control Centre through these numbers: 08037025670, 08033210966, 08033312261, 08123829666, 09053872244, 07082351758, 08091914752.