In the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, soldiers from Operation Forest Sanity under the 1 Division Nigerian Army murdered the bandit leader Isiya Danwasa and his followers.
According to reports, the soldiers captured a motorcycle, weapons, and money from the thieves.
Danwasa was suspected of carrying out numerous murders, kidnappings, and cattle rustling operations around the state before he was slain.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Lieutenant Colonel Musa Yahaya, the acting deputy director of army public relations for the 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, confirmed the incident. He said that after receiving a tip from an intelligence source, the troops ambushed the bandits and killed them while seizing a motorcycle, two AK-47 rifles, six AK-47 magazines, 250 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, one power bank, and two charm vests 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.
